mzeiya
Elder Lister
Tensions were high in Kitale town on Monday after an Administration Police (AP) officer shot dead a Kenya Prison Service officer at a liquor shop.
The AP officer also shot and injured himself in an attempt to take his own life.
The deceased, a driver at Kitale Main Prison, was waiting to take remand prisoners from the Law Court to the prison.
It’s not clear what sparked the shooting, which took place at 4pm next to the Kitale law courts. According to reports, the suspect, armed with a pistol, opened fire on the prison officer after an argument.
Patrons of the establishment, including another prison officer, fled the scene during the incident.
Shopkeepers in the area closed their shops and ran for safety as the suspect allegedly threatened to harm anyone in the vicinity after the shooting.
“I saw people running for safety as the shooting intensified. I don’t know what happened inside the bar,” said an eyewitness who declined to be named.
For nearly 30 minutes, the scene was a no-go area as the gunman dared to harm anyone who came near him.
A number of fellow officers who had arrived near the scene tried in vain to reason with the suspect.
The officers moved in after realising that the two, the deceased officer and his killer, were lying down.
The officers disarmed the constable before handcuffing him and bundled him into the vehicle and rushed him to Kitale County Hospital with wounds to his hand and leg.
Trans Nzoia County Commissioner Mr Gideon Oyagi and Trans Nzoia West OCPD Patrick Gaitariria visited the scene.
DCI detectives processed the scene before the body of the prison officer was taken to Kitale County morgue.
