Lokichogio OCS, police reservist shot dead by bandits in an ambush in Turkana West

LODWAR: A senior police officer and police reservist were shot dead by suspected bandits in an attack in Lokichogio, Turkana County.

Lokichogio OCS Dominic Waweru Ng'ang'a and the reservist were ambushed as they pursued a herd of goats that had been stolen on Saturday afternoon. Seven other reservists were injured in the ambush.

The attackers managed to escape with the unknown number of stolen animals.

Turkana West OCPD David Nyabuto said the incident happened as the officers pursued the animals.

“Locals reported there had been an attack and bandits had stolen goats. As the officers responded there, they were ambushed on the way,” he said.

The attack disrupted efforts to pursue the stolen animals. The body of Mr Ng’ang’a was airlifted to Nairobi Sunday.

Locals said they had joined police in efforts to trace the bandits. The area is common with banditry attacks. Many officers have died in similar ambushes, which are usually well planned and executed.

Meanwhile, the body of Dadaab head of CID Kyule Kasoloki who committed suicide on Thursday evening has been transferred to Machakos. Mr Kasoloki used his pistol to burst his head in his house.

The motive behind the incident at the police lines is yet to be known. Police said they heard a gunshot from the house and when they went to check they found the Chief Inspector of police lying in a pool of blood.

He was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead while being attended to. His body was later transported to Machakos where it is being preserved ahead of his burial in his rural home.

In the past weeks, more than ten police officers have been killed while in line of duty in separate attacks.

On Tuesday, an officer Commanding police station (OCS) in Nyandarua North has been killed in an incident of mistaken identity while on duty.

The Ndaragwa police station OCS Harun Mwangombe was shot in the stomach by an Administration Police officer based in Ndaragwa AP post while on patrol on Tuesday night.

Police said the OCS was in the company of others who had laid an ambush after a case of carjacking incident along Ndaragwa-Nyahururu road was reported.

Unknown to the regular police officer, their Administration Police colleagues had also laid a parallel ambush not knowing that the OCS and his colleagues were on the same scene.