A police constable was fatally shot on Monday, November 3, while on duty overseeing the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) exams in Turkana County, and his AK-47 rifle was stolen during the attack.
According to reports, the officer was ambushed by suspected bandits who struck him on the head before fleeing with the firearm, which was loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition.
The constable had been stationed with a colleague to guard an examination container at the Deputy County Commissioner’s compound when the incident occurred.
A police response team was swiftly deployed to the scene, and the officer’s body was later transferred to a nearby mortuary awaiting a post-mortem. Preliminary investigations suggest that the assailants targeted the officer’s weapon, and efforts are ongoing to trace and recover the stolen rifle.
The killing adds to growing insecurity in Turkana, where bandits along the Turkana have reportedly killed at least ten people–West Pokot border over the past two weeks.
Despite the government’s deployment of a multi-agency security team comprising the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) and the National Police Service (NPS), violence in the North Rift persists.
Turkana is among several counties covered under Operation Maliza Uhalifu, which also includes West Pokot, Samburu, Marsabit, Meru, Isiolo, and Baringo.
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This development follows recent measures announced by Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to intensify the fight against banditry.
Speaking in Madera County on September 24, Murkomen stated, “The government intends to arm chiefs and sub-chiefs in bandit-prone regions with guns to help in combating the vice.”
He added that the decision was based on requests from local administrators, noting that “some chiefs in Kerio Valley have already been issued with licensed arms.”
The CS further directed individuals possessing illegal firearms to surrender them to the nearest police stations, warning that failure to do so would attract “stern action from the government.”
By Joseph Mambili
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