Details have emerged what triggered an altercation between Kenya Defence Forces Special Forces from the Green Berrets and Kenya Ferry Service personnel and police at the Likoni Channel Mombasa.
The KDF troops are from the elite Rangers squad based at Kabete and Gilgil and were from an operation in southern coast heading back to Mombasa Island when the incident happened on Saturday April 27.
Witnesses and KFS officials said the soldiers ran into a traffic jam that is experienced at the channel.
They ran impatient and overlapped up to the entry of the ferry.
Still impatient and in hurry, the driver of the land cruiser they were using blocked the main exit from the ferry making it impossible for the other motorists to leave.
This caused another crisis, which forced the KFS and police to establish why the driver was blocking the flow of vehicles.
Witnesses said the KDF troops jumped out of their vehicle while armed and started to argue with the personnel manning the channel.
This escalated to a physical confrontation that left one KFS official and two police officers assaulted.
A lady who captured the altercation on video is heard asking why the KDF officers were attacking a police officer, yet they are in the same line of work.
“Ni nini? Mbona mnatufayia hivo? Sote tuko kazi moja mbona mnatufanyai hivi?” (“What is it? Why do you do that to us? We are all in the same job, why are you doing this to us?”).
On looking citizens are heard wondering what could have led to the altercation. The crowd shouted at the soldiers who were captured assaulting the personnel.
The channel continues to experience challenges in terms of traffic management.
Police authorities said investigations into the incident have been launched.
The KDF in a statement after the video went viral said investigations into the incident have commenced.
“To establish the circumstances leading to the incident, Military Police and requisite investigation agencies are currently handling the matter.
“The incident is highly regrettable. As KDF personnel, we are beholden to the core value of professionalism,” KDF said.
This is the second incident in less than a month that KDF officers have been accused of engaging in a fight with police officers.
On April 17 police at Lodwar Police Station arrested KDF soldiers who allegedly slapped and disarmed their colleague at a roadblock for delaying to remove of spikes on the road.
The KDF officers were riding in a water bowser at the time of the incident around 11 am.
Police said the officer who was disarmed was manning a road block at Mt Kenya area in the company of three other officers from Turkana County Enforcement Department.
The KDF however, rubbished the claims.
“Notably, it has so far been established that KDF soldiers neither, “assaulted” police officers nor, “stormed” the station as alleged,” KDF said in a statement.
“The orchestration of the detainment is demeaning in context, intended to embarrass, humiliate, and create alarm. The incident, though localized and occurring at a tactical level, is of great concern to the entire KDF fraternity. It also degrades the complementary spirit in Multi-Agency environments and operations,” KDF said.
KDF further said that joint investigations by the relevant authorities are probing the matter.
A Brigadier and a senior DCI officer are leading the probe into the drama.
KDF has established a base at Kanam Kemer Ward on the outskirts of Lodwar town after the Turkana County Government and Ministry of Defence inked a deal allocating land for military use in different parts of Turkana back in April 2021.
The Turkana community consented to the allocation of 2,000 hectares of land in Kanamkemer, being 1,000 hectares each in Kaputir, Kapedo/Napeitom, Lapur, Kibish, Lokichoggio, Nanam and Letea Wards.
KDF was also assured of access to 50,000 hectares for military training whenever the need arose.
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