Elderly man dies at Bungoma Land and Environment Court awaiting his suit hearing
The man's name has been withheld to allow the next of kin to be informed. It still remains unclear for how long his suit has been dragging in court.
An elderly man who had turned up for hearing of his case at the Land and Environment Court in Bungoma died inside a courtroom earlier today, the Judiciary has announced.
Judiciary spokesperson Paul confirmed the incident but said his was withheld until his kinsmen are informed. It still remains unclear for how long his suit has been dragging in court.
In the statement, the Judiciary stated that the elderly man appeared unwell when he arrived at the court on a motorcycle.
Ndiemo further said the man was given a priority card which is always given to the elderly, sick, expectant women and PWDs for prioritized access.
“At around 9am the man, appearing elderly and visibly unwell, was carried into the court compound on a motorcycle. On account of his condition, a Customer Care Officer handed him a Priority Card. This is a card given to elderly persons, expectant mothers, PWDs and those who are sick giving them access to prioritized and expedited service so that they spend as little time as possible at the courts,” Ndiemo stated.
It was while waiting for his advocate to arrive outside the courts with his brother that he was found unresponsive.
“He then indicated that he would wait for his advocate to arrive. He proceeded outside to lie down on the grass, as he waited with his brothers. When a court official went to give him further updates, he found him unresponsive,” Ndiemo explained in the statement.
Police were immediately called in and it was ascertained that the man had, unfortunately, died.
The police processed the scene and the body of the deceased was moved to Bungoma County Referral Hospital Morgue.
This comes few weeks after five people were hospitalized at the Bungoma County Referral Hospital after a firearm belonging to an officer attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) accidentally discharged during court proceedings at the Bungoma Law Courts.
In their statement, the Judiciary confirmed that the firearm belonging to the DCI officer accidentally discharged a bullet during the court session, causing injuries to multiple individuals present in the courtroom.
A team of security officers was later dispatched to the scene and are conducting a thorough assessment of the situation to determine the circumstances that led to the accidental firing of the weapon.
