Police rescue woman held hostage by warder gone berserk

A prison warder Monday shot a woman in a public park and later held his wife and two children hostage for hours.

Meru County Commissioner Wilfred Nyagwanga said the 29-year-old Constable Douglas Asuma, who is based at the Kimitu GK Prison in Central, had earlier quarreled with the wife. Mr Nyagwanga said the warder had been chasing after her when he encountered a colleague with a gun which he snatched and started shooting. He missed the wife but the bullet hit a civilian, Catherine Muthoni Nyawira, 32, in the head.

 Later, the enraged warder caught up with the wife and dragged her back to the house where he held her hostage for hours together with their two children. According to the police, Mr Asuma, of his own volition, let go of the two.

It took the intervention of a preacher to convince him not to kill the woman. He finally let her go but locked himself inside the house. The police stormed in, arrested him and discovered that out of the 17 rounds of ammunition, he had spent three. Unconfirmed reports late Monday had it that the woman was rushed to the Kenyatta National hospital for specialised treatment. Concerned residents thronged the scene to witness the hours-long siege and asked for a reshuffle of the personnel manning the prison.

"Clearly there is a mad prison warder and we need them removed," said Kirimi, a resident. Central Imenti Officer Commanding Police Division (OCPD) Boniface Lisiolo told the Press that they had the situation under control and had arrested the officer, who, apparently, was not supposed to have a firearm. Only last month, an officer in Kapenguria, shot dead seven of his colleagues, before the standoff ended in a shootout.