Man who was nailed to tree recovering in hospital as family says he didn’t steal radio

Collins Sambaya, the man who was nailed to a tree in Vihiga County on Friday for allegedly stealing a radio, is presently recovering at a local hospital.

Sambaya was rushed to Itando Mission of Hope and Health Care centre after residents were successfully able to free him from his predicament.

According to the victim’s grandfather, only identified as Henry, his family is still in shock following the incident.

While likening Sambaya’s ordeal to that of Jesus Christ, Henry maintained that his grandson is innocent and was wrongly accused.

He similarly established that Sambaya was nailed to the tree by one Eric Irime and his younger brother who hail from the area.

“The incident occurred at around 2 pm but I only got wind of the situation at around 5pm. The suspects came to our home and tricked my grandson into following them into their household where they committed the act,” Henry told Citizen Digital.

“My grandson is innocent. A few days ago, the suspects took my grandson to a nearby police station where they reported him for allegedly stealing the said radio. Officers however freed him after establishing that there was no evidence to support the pair’s allegations.”

Sambaya’s family now wants police to act swiftly and bring the two suspects to book.

“Honestly speaking if the suspects were apprehended yesterday things would have been very different right now,” Henry said.

“If they do get caught, we would like the matter to be handled by police. I have heard rumours that they pair might have been spotted nearby but I am not sure. Local youth are however hot on their trails.”