On Sunday, August 16, at around 3am, a team of five police officers left Chemelil Police Post in Muhoroni Subcounty, Kisumu County, to join other officers in Homa Bay and provide security during the Linda Mwananchi rally.

Police Constable Jim Richardson Onkundi was behind the wheel. He was accompanied by his boss, Muhoroni Subcounty Police Commander Senior Superintendent of Police Fredrick Ombaka, Corporal Leonard Wanjala and Police Constables Geoffrey Kebenei and Bernard Odundo.

Mr Onkundi would not return to Chemelil.

The 36-year-old officer died on the journey back from Homa Bay after a stone thrown at the police vehicle struck him on the head, causing him to lose consciousness. The vehicle subsequently veered off the road and crashed into a building.

The five officers were part of a wider security deployment involving teams from across Kisumu County.

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About 15 officers from Koru Police Station were deployed, alongside other teams from Kisumu town and Nyakach. The teams converged at the county headquarters in Homa Bay for the day’s assignment.

“We had a very successful day on that particular day. We did our best and we did our part,” Mr Ombaka said.

At around 7pm, the Linda Mwananchi team arrived in Homa Bay town.

“It was already getting dark. Since rallies should not continue beyond 6pm, we oversaw the dispersal of the gathering and saw the participants leave Homa Bay town towards Kendu Bay,” the police boss told the Nation in an interview.

The police teams returned to the county headquarters where they were debriefed and told they could proceed to their respective stations.

Mr Ombaka left with his team while some officers travelled ahead.

The officers were travelling at a reasonable speed when they reached Olare Shopping Centre. Several young men were along the road when one of them threw a stone directly at the police vehicle.

The stone passed through the windscreen and struck Mr Onkundi on the face and the side of his head, near the right ear.

“He threw that stone directly at our vehicle and unfortunately, it hit the driver, Onkundi. He then lost consciousness while driving,” Mr Ombaka said.

The vehicle, an Isuzu D-Max registration number GK B389, was travelling between 80 and 100 kilometres per hour.

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Mr Ombaka, who was seated next to him, tried to take control of the steering wheel, but the vehicle veered off the road and crashed into a building.

“All my officers who were seated at the back seat were also hurt,” Mr Ombaka said.

The police boss was admitted to Lisa Hospital in Kisumu, where he was treated for his injuries. He remained in hospital for two days before being discharged.

WhatsApp Image 2026-08-20 at 12.03.37 — Chemelil Police Post in Muhoroni Sub-County where the late Police Constable Jim Richardson Onkudi was attached. He was due to be promoted when he met his untimely death in Homa Bay while providing security for the Linda Mwananchi rally.

Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation

Mr Onkundi was rushed to Jeneiro Hospital in Nyangeswo and later referred to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Mr Ombaka sustained neck pains and bruises on his head.

Corporal Wanjala sustained a cut on his right thumb and back pains, while Constable Geoffrey Kebenei suffered bruises on his left hand.

Constable Bernard Odundo sustained injuries to his right leg, which was swollen, as well as bruises on both wrists.

Other officers were also injured during the Linda Mwananchi rally in Homa Bay on Sunday.

Administration Police Constable Richard Muema sustained serious head injuries. Corporal Stephen Orony suffered injuries to the back of the head, while Corporal Rika Said sustained an injury to the right thigh.

Administration Police Constable James Nyoike suffered an injury to the left hand, while his colleague Collins Bera sustained injuries to the right thigh and left leg, and James Kinywa sustained injuries to both knees, both legs and the right elbow.

Mr Ombaka described Mr Onkundi as a young, jovial and dedicated officer who was passionate about his work.

“But he was a wonderful officer. Very young, very jovial. An officer that was a go-getter,” he said.

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Mr Onkundi’s career was cut short just as he stood on the threshold of a new rank. He had recently completed his training at Kiganjo and was waiting to be formally promoted to the rank of corporal.

He had completed the course linked to his promotion and had returned from leave. All that remained was formal confirmation that would elevate him from police constable to corporal.

For his family, the news of Mr Onkundi’s death came with the cruel finality of a phone call that never came.

His brother Peter Onkundi spoke to him on Sunday at about 7.30am.

Mr Onkundi told him he was at work in Homa Bay and promised to call after completing the assignment. Peter never received that call.

Instead, the following day, one of Mr Onkundi’s colleagues called him and delivered the devastating news that his brother was dead.

Mr Onkundi joined the police force in 2015. He was the last-born in the family and had become its breadwinner.

His body has since been transferred to St Joseph’s Ombo Mission Hospital in Migori.

Burial plans are underway at the family home in Suna West Subcounty, Migori County. He leaves behind a wife and a child.

A junior police officer who has served in the police service for more than 20 years said Mr Onkundi’s death had brought into sharp focus the dangers police officers face while carrying out their duties.

But he questioned why organisations that often speak loudly when police officers are accused of wrongdoing had not come to condole with officers after one of their colleagues was killed.

“We have not seen anybody here trying to come and condole with us. But if it were that the policeman did the act, we could be having all those lobbies now here, trying to investigate what happened,” he said.

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He said police officers were often at the centre of public criticism when accused of killing demonstrators, while the death of an officer rarely attracted similar attention.

“You can see demonstrations going on. The police have killed. But if a policeman loses his life or her life, it is very rare to see such type of police coming in,” he said.

The officer said every human being had a right to live regardless of profession or background.

“Because everybody has a right to live, regardless of whether you are a professional, regardless of where you come from. Everybody has a right to live,” he said.

He appealed to Kenyans to work with the police through community policing.

He said community policing had been established to bring members of the public and police officers together so that they could work as a team.

“This body is supposed to bring both the community and the police together so that we work as a team,” he said.

The officer also spoke about the difficulties police encounter when deployed to political rallies.

He said some demonstrators saw police officers as enemies rather than as people assigned to provide security.

According to him, demonstrators sometimes assumed police officers had been sent by a particular political group or individual.

“They cannot see us that we have gone there for their safety,” he said.

He said the perception created a difficult environment in which officers could become targets even when their assignment was to protect people attending the rally.

The officer appealed to Kenyans to understand the role of police officers during political gatherings and to work with them rather than confront them.

He also urged members of the public to be more tolerant and avoid violence.

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dombok@ke.nationmedia.com