An autopsy report has revealed that Police Constable Ramadhan Mattanka, the General Service Unit (GSU) officer who was killed while guarding State House on Monday, died due to excessive bleeding.
Mattanka died after being hit with an arrow while he was manning Gate D at State House, Nairobi.
The autopsy, which came out on Tuesday, October 14, further disclosed that the arrow went through the left seventh and eighth ribs and later went through the left lung, puncturing the heart.
Mattanka, a Muslim, is set to be buried today in Kajiado County, after his burial was delayed following a request from investigators to delay his interment to allow investigations.
The officer met his death after Kithuka attempted to gain entry into State House but was promptly dismissed. He is said to have approached the security officers posing as a member of the street families.
Kithuka was carrying a large sack, where he is said to have stuffed the bow and arrows used to assault the officer. According to police, after being chased away, he waited until two other officers were distracted during the clearance of a car at the gate before launching his assault.
Police say he hid behind a car and prepared himself before launching the surprise attack, shooting and injuring Mattanka. The officer was rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Seconds after the attack, other GSU officers pounced on the suspect before subduing and apprehending him.
However, further unconfirmed reports emerging from the incident indicated that the two might have known each other, with Kithuka said to be a regular visitor at whichever gate Mattanka was guarding.
This is after CCTV footage reviewed by investigators revealed a 17-minute exchange between the two men, with theories pointing towards a potential dispute between the two as a possible reason for Kithuka attacking Mattanka.
Gate D, where Mattanka was stationed, is a screening area usually reserved for the President’s designated staff and visitors.
Questions have since emerged over the security lapses that led to the attack at one of the most heavily guarded locations in the country.
Chief among the issues police must now unravel is whether this was a lone-wolf attack, what the true motive behind it was, and how a civilian armed with primitive weapons managed to get so close to the heart of the President’s residence.
