Owino, 36, was last arrested and taken to Kampi ya Samaki Administration Police (AP) camp in Baringo North Sub-county to be ‘disciplined’ for allegedly being drunk and disorderly on December 5.
“The AP officers on duty kicked him several times with hard-pointed boots until he was senseless and could not walk, he died on the spot” sources said.
However, postmortem done in Baringo County Referral Hospital Mortuary on December 18 reads; “the death was as a result of multiple soft tissue injuries due to blunt force trauma due to consistent flogging”.
The report also noted some characteristic of smell of alcohol inside the stomach of the deceased.
Pathologist in charge however recommended that the investigating officers should correlate with the above circumstances.
Police authorities have since warned the family not to leak out the postmortem results to the media or politicians to avoid causing ‘unnecessary’ tension.
However, David Kuria, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Nakuru Human Rights Network (NAHURINET) condemned the cold blood killing.
“We are calling upon IPOA, Directorate of Public Investigation to carry out proper investigation and those involved should face the law” Kuria said
Among the individuals accused for the premature death are Akoroyan Assistant Chief Moses Chebii and Kampi ya Samaki resident Joseph Onyango who aided his arrest, “for smoking near a shade of a business woman’.
The AP officer who was then on duty Bosco Omboko was reportedly transferred immediately after the killing to Kiserian in the neighboring Baringo South Sub-county.
County AP Commander Robinson Ndiwa firmly denied having knowledge of the officer’s transfer, saying if it is true then it must have been ordered by his colleague in Baringo North.
He said Owino, the ‘crocodile man’ was drunk by the time he was brought to the camp “to sober up, but in the process he succumbed” the AP boss said.
The deceased Owino worked as a makeshift local tour-guide at Lake Baringo Community Boats and Excursion (LBCBE).
Apart from feeding orphaned crocodiles, the late Owino also mastered unique art of handling dangerous scorpions without being bitten, a talent that lures local and international tourists to earn him a living.
His colleague Louise Juma said his untimely death coincided with the December Holiday when many locally and international are expected to tour Lake Baringo.
Juma termed Owino as a humble, friendly and hardworking man who never picked quarrel or fights with anybody.
Hardened criminal?
On December 7, Baringo Warden Jackson Komen termed the late Owino as a hardened criminal who was being sought by police for ‘handling and feeding while animals illegally’.
“Media should therefore stop glorifying this man. In fact he is a culprit whom we have been hunting for many years to charge him for dealing with wild animals illegally” Komen said.
The warden further said they had not been consulted anytime the media toured the lake to interview this ‘wanted man.’
“In fact every time we hear media is around interviewing this man we try to get there but he always runs into hiding” Komen said.
Owino had his last engagement with the World BBC broadcast in Lake Baringo on November 26.
Now the widow Alice Ekai who lives in a dilapidated rental house at Kampi ya Samaki town with her four kids appeals for humanitarian help saying she has lost the family’s sole breadwinner.
-Joseph Kangogo