How Africa
A boda-boda operator was on Thursday honoured during Madaraka Day celebrations inKirinyaga County for surrendering a deadly explosive to the police.
Leonard Maina was awarded cash by politicians at Kianyaga Stadium in Gichugu for his daring act in 2014 where he picked a grenade, slept with it in his house before taking it to the police the following day.
The Jubilee Party Chairman in the area, Mureithi Kang’ara, gave Mr Maina Sh5000 while County Women Representative Winnie Njuguna offered Sh2000 as they declared him a hero for the rare act.
“He is really a hero and he should be awarded and honoured. The police officers fled but this young man bravely and firmly held the explosive. He deserves a pat on the back,” Mr Kang’ara was quoted by the Nation.
When the boda-boda rider was given a chance to speak, he sparked laughter among the audience after narrating the sequence of events on the fateful day.
Maina divulged that he was on his normal duties when he stumbled upon a grenade in the area. He then took a leso, wrapped the explosive and went home with it before taking it to Kiandai Administration Police Post the following day.
At the police station, when the officers discovered that he was holding an explosive, one of them jumped through the window while the rest dramatically scampered for safety.
“I was baffled when the security officers ran away when I tried to hand over the explosive to them,” Maina disclosed.
Police later called Criminal Investigation Officers who confirmed that it was a grenade before they detonated it.
Investigators suspected the explosive might have been left behind by colonialists and could have been dug out by a tractor.
