A police officer was shot dead on Saturday morning following an ambush by a group of armed men who raided the Chepkum chief's camp in Elgeyo Marakwet County.
According to a police report obtained by Kenyans.co.ke dated Saturday, February 10, the incident unfolded when one of the officers went to answer a call of nature in a toilet and was suddenly ambushed by the armed men who shot him in the chest.
The officer succumbed to the injuries.
The gunshots alerted the other officers who rushed to the scene and found the cop lying in a pool of blood.
The officers, as a result, called for backup which arrived minutes later and documented the scene. Further, the victim's body was taken to Iten Hospital Morgue.
All rifles were retrieved as evidence including the deceased's weapon which was collected from his house.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the ambush was a means of retaliation over a slain bandit who was shot dead on Thursday, February 8, at Arror Centre.
The government has been ramping up efforts to eradicate the menace of banditry across the North Eastern region.
According to Interior CS Kithure Kindiki, 70 per cent of banditry had been contained.
"The incidents of banditry and its debilitating effects on the people of the Northern Rift Valley Region have been contained 70 per cent," the CS stated in December 2023.
"Building on the lessons so far, the government aims at eradicating the menace of banditry and destroying its political, cultural and commercial networks. 2024 is a decisive year."
He further noted that the government would soon place bounties on the bandit commanders to provide incentives to the public to assist in apprehending the criminals.
