Man shot dead after attacking police officer in Nairobi

By CYRUS OMBATI

NAIROBI, KENYA: A man wielding a panga was shot dead after he attacked and seriously wounded a police officer at the Central police station, Nairobi. 

Joseph Ndirangu, 33 was shot at four times by constable Peter Kiprono who had been injured in the mid-day drama outside the police station.  

Kiprono sustained a deep cut in the head after he was attacked by Ndirangu who arrived there without uttering a word. The motive of the attack was not immediately established but police said Ndirangu had a mental problem. 

Kiprono was the guard at the police station’s main gate and was seated next to the entrance when the assailant arrived, police and other witnesses said. A search on his body also recovered knife. 

According to witnesses, Ndirangu had hidden his panga in his jacket when he arrived at the station. He walked through the main gate and faced Kiprono who thought he had a report to make. 

“It was then that he flushed out the panga and slashed the officer once in the head saying he had come to kill an officer,” said Central OCPD Paul Wanjama. 

Kiprono is said to have staggered and cocked his gun while bleeding before he fired seven times at the deceased man. Three of the bullets missed him but four struck him in the legs, stomach and chest flooring him. 

By then, his other colleagues had thought the station was under attack and had taken cover. After Kiprono was done with the shooting and there was a lull, he dashed to the report office about four meters away while bleeding and sought the help of his colleagues. 

He was later rushed to the nearby Nairobi Outpatient before he was transferred to Kenyatta National Hospital where officials said he was in a stable condition but with a slightly broken skull.