Police Wanted To Kill Me- KMPDU Sec Gen Davji Atellah Speaks After Shooting

Kenya Medical Practitioners, Pharmacists, and Dentists Union (KMPDU) Secretary General Dr Davji Bhimji Atellah spoke on Friday, March 1 for the first time since being injured by a teargas canister lobbed by police on Thursday, February 29 in what was reported to be a shooting incident.

The doctors' union boss regained his consciousness and strength to speak and spoke to Citizen TV from his hospital bed at the Nairobi Hospital where he received treatment for the injuries that he incurred following the incident, which drew widespread condemnation regarding the excessive use of force by police officers.

Atellah narrated that he was leading peaceful protests when he was shot at from a close range by an officer whom he claimed was the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) at Capitol Hill Police Station.

“We were just moving down in a procession then the police came and parked in front of us and immediately, we were about 200 meters away, and the first shot he took hit my head,” recalled Dr. Atellah.

He further narrated going through a series of wild events that followed the brazen shooting, adding that he believed he was the prime subject of an assassination attempt.

“I was very scared...I thought that because the bleeding was profuse and I did not know the degree of the injury. The interns picked me up and took me to a Good Samaritan who drove me to the hospital,” he explained.

He went on to reveal that he had undergone nearly 12 stitches while at Nairobi Hospital and indicated that he suffered internal bleeding as a result of the incident.

Backing his sentiments was KMPDU Deputy Secretary General Dr Dennis Miskellah who claimed that police had deliberately attempted to kill the Secretary-General especially after the same OCS had targeted and shot at him.

“This point-blank headshot had no other intention than to kill Davji, especially after the same officer had earlier aimed at the SG and shot at him," Miskellah claimed.

“The Secretary-General suffered a head injury and underwent surgery at the Nairobi Hospital and is currently in the High Dependency Unit (HDU)."

The National Police Service (NPS) by the time of publishing this article was yet to respond to claims by the KMPDU boss and his deputy.

The KMPDU boss had, in a letter to the Nairobi Regional Police Commander, announced a peaceful protest in Nairobi on Thursday over the delayed posting of medical interns and the payment of fees for postgraduate students.

The medics marched from the Kenya Medical Association Centre in the Upper Hill area to the Ministry of Health offices and were thereafter to proceed to the Treasury headquarters in the city centre.

Dr. Atellah had last week threatened a nationwide strike if over 1,000 medical interns were not hired, further criticising the Ministry of Health for refusing to absorb the medics thereby denying Kenyans medical services.

The doctors' union vehemently condemned the Thursday police incident and vowed to down tools to proceed on a nationwide protest from Monday next week, March 4, a move that could cripple the country's health sector considered one of the most critical sectors to members of the public.

“Expiring tonight at midnight, if we do not have the demands responded to, every doctor will walk out of every hospital,” Dr. Miskellah said.

KMPDU SG Davji Atellah during protests in Nairobi on Thursday, February 29, 2024. /KMPDU