The government on Tuesday, March 14, refuted claims that police officers executed two bank robbery suspects while under their custody in Murang'a.
Speaking to the press, Central Regional Commissioner Fredrick Shishia maintained that the two suspects were killed in a shoot-out between a gang and the police, contrary to reports insinuating that the two could have been victims of extra-judicial killings.
In his explanation, Shishia noted that security officers followed intel and bumped into the suspects coming out of a forest in Kigumo, Murang'a County on the fateful day.
According to him, the suspects were in possession of a bag carrying money which was suspected to have been part of the amount stolen from the raid of a bank in Murang'a on Saturday, March 11.
The police, Shishia added, ordered the suspects to reveal the location where the firearms used in the robbery incident were hidden.
The suspects reportedly cooperated and guided the officers into the forest. On their way, the commissioner noted, the police officers were met by unexpected gunfire from unknown persons.
The two suspects were then killed in the shootout that ensued.
"At this moment we cannot say that police officers were responsible for the killing of these two suspects. The police officers were confronted by a group believed to be part of the gang.
"I think it is in that recess that the officers insisted that they show them where the firearms were and in the process, they had to go back into the forest to assist the officers trace them," he maintained.
Regarding the recovery of the guns paraded by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations post, Shishia noted that the two suspects dropped the guns in their retreat from the gunfire of police officers.
In his statement, the Commissioner urged members of the public to be patient as oversight agencies continued with investigations into the matter.
"Let them carry out investigations and what will come out will be a matter of public information," he added.
The deaths of the two suspects sparked controversy after photos of them in police handcuffs surfaced on social media platforms.
In its statement, the DCI alleged that the suspects were gunned down in a shootout, describing the exchange in the customary glamour associated with the agency's writing style.
However, the concreteness of the DCI post was put into question as Kenyans juxtaposed a photo of the two in handcuffs and the photo shared by the DCI of the two suspects lying dead.
The resulting outrage promoted the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) to intervene and it committed to undertaking investigations into the intricate details of the case.
