New details now show that the police officer who went berserk killing his wife and five other civilians before turning the gun on himself on Tuesday, December 7, was a man under investigations.
Colleagues close Benson Imbatu revealed that he was under investigation by the Independent Policing and Oversight Authority (IPOA).
The insiders intimated that Imbatu was implicated in the murder of another civilian identified as Nicholas Lifedi mid this year, an incident IPOA has been probing.
According his colleagues, the killer officer had expressed fear that the he would be pinned down by the probe after preliminary reports established that a firearm assigned to him was used to execute Lifedi.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke on December 7, a colleague disclosed that the officer might have decided to take his own life as he was staring at a possible jail term should he have been found guilty.
"Most officers dread going to prison. Imagine being in the same facility with people you put in," he remarked.
Even as IPOA continues with its investigations, Interior Cabinet Secretary, Fred Matiang'i, on Tuesday, stated that the shooting spree could have been triggered by a disagreement between the officer and his estranged wife, only identified as Carol.
Matiang'i gave a three-day ultimatum to detectives to carry out conclusive investigations into the matter and make the findings public.
"When a matter like this happens, the responsible thing to do is to come together, investigate the matter and find out what exactly happened," the CS stated.
The Interior boss noted that the government had enhanced counseling and medical help for affected officers. He further mentioned that all officers' records would be digitized to enhance the payment of relevant dues for fallen officers.
Families of the victims want the government to step in and help meet their expenses following the demise of some of the breadwinners.
