A rogue police officer was shot dead hours after he had killed his colleague in a dramatic confrontation in Kamukunji area, Nairobi.
Another officer was shot and seriously wounded in the hand in the chaos.
The incident happened on Saturday night at 9.30pm.
The first victim was Constable Maureen Achieng who was shot and killed inside a police car as she and other colleagues prepared to go for night patrols.
Police and witnesses said the drama began when Constable Lawrence Ewoipicked a quarrel with Achieng over undisclosed reasons outside the police station.
This argument went on for a short while before Ewoi who was armed with a G3 rifle stepped back and opened fire on his colleague at close range as she sat in the car.
He fired at least four times hitting the female officer in the chest.
The bullets also hit Constable George Gitonga in the left arm before he was picked up and rushed to hospital in stable condition. “They could not fire back or defend themselves because they were in a car and confined as the assailant fired at them,” said a witness.
Police said Achieng was pronounced dead on arrival at Kenyatta National Hospital while Gitonga was admitted in stable condition.
As the injured officers were being rushed to hospital, the assailant dashed out of the scene. His colleagues trailed their guns on him. His details were circulated on the police communication channel and those on duty warned he was in civilian clothes and armed with a rifle.
A major hunt was launched for him for about an hour before he was cornered and killed near Burma market where he had changed his attire and was planning to return to the station.
The police rifle was found on him. He did not fire at that moment.
Ewoi worked in a special response unit operating in Nairobi popularly known as Quick Response Unit (QRU) whose main work is to respond to different forms of crimes.
Nairobi police boss Rashid Yakub said they had not established the trigger to the first shooting. “We have lost two officers in unfortunate circumstances. We are looking into the cause of this issue,” he said.
The bodies were moved to the mortuary.
The incident is the latest in the service that highlights the deep and simmering problems therein.
A report launched by Kenyatta University in 2018 found the major factor contributing to suicide and murder among officers in Kenya is work-related trauma.
The study found out that police are generally at the receiving end of community problems.