Police officer kills four colleagues and civilian then commits suicide in Kakamega

Residents mill around the scene where an Administration police officer shot and killed his four colleagues and a teacher before killing himself at Shiatsala Divisional headquarters in Butere, Kakamega County on Tuesday night.

KAKAMEGA COUNTY: An enraged Administration Police officer went on a shooting spree, mowing down four colleagues and a civilian before blowing his head off after a domestic quarrel.

Mustapha Alando, 29, who was attached to Shiatsala AP Chief Camp in Butere constituency, ended the lives of his superiors – Sergeant William Esinyen and Corporal Fabiano Lumwachi – before training his gun on constables Daniel Okutoyi, Carren Otiende and her husband Fred Otiende, a civilian.

Constable Alando had previously guarded the home of Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya before he was redeployed.

“It is very sad that an incident of such magnitude has taken place in my county. I knew him as he used to guard my residence and I am shocked that he could kill his fellow officers,” Mr Oparanya said.

His mission to wipe out the entire camp flopped when constables Dickson Kieti and Hamman Muhoma escaped the shooting.

The whereabouts of Alando’s wife and the two police officers had not been established by the time of going to press.

When he was through with the killings, Alando went to the CDF office next to the chief’s camp and ended his life.

WIFE’S VISIT

Witnesses and fellow police officers claimed Alando’s wife came visiting on Tuesday evening and found Alando’s girlfriend, known only as Milly, in the house at the AP camp.

Alando had allegedly entertained his lover for two weeks.

His wife, who lives in their rural home in Ugenya, got wind of the affair and travelled to Shiatsala-Butere to confront her rival.

Witnesses say a quarrel ensued between the two women, with each insisting on spending the night in Alando’s one-room house.

Alando’s colleagues called for a meeting to cool matters down.

“His colleagues summoned him to the AP quarter’s offices at around 4pm to solve the matter and it seemed like an agreement had been reached – one of the ladies would leave. But when night fell, another quarrel ensued because neither woman was willing to sleep away from Alando,” said a resident at the AP camp who declined to be named. The officer in charge of the camp, Sergeant Esiyen, called for another meeting between Alando, who was on sentry duty that night, and four other officers who prevailed on him to sort out his family matters like a man, advice that did not go down well with him.

Apparently offended, Alando, without warning, first shot at the sergeant who was armed with a pistol then aimed at an unarmed constable and a corporal.

Another constable known only as Aden, who survived the attack, managed to wrestle Alando to the ground and disarm him but the latter had the keys to the armoury and opened it to get another gun.

He then walked to the house of a female constable (Carren) who was in with her husband, a primary school teacher, and sprayed their iron-walled structure with bullets, killing them instantly.

Alando later retreated to the chief’s office where he shot himself.

Area chief Maurice Ongaya said he had left the camp at 8pm after exchanging pleasantries with the officer, who he said was jovial as usual.

“The sound of gun shots brought us back to the camp at around 9pm. We thought we were under enemy attack but when I rang some of my officers, their phones went unanswered,” said Mr Ongaya.

Butere Deputy County Commissioner Joshua Chepchieng confirmed the killings.

LAUGHED FREELY

“The officer has been disciplined for the three years he has been attached to Shiatsala AP camp. He must have gone berserk for him to do things of this magnitude,” Mr Chepchieng said at the camp.

Alando is believed to have been a temperamental person going by witness accounts.

“He was a man of the people and served for three years at this station. We interacted and laughed freely together but if he was disappointed, oh, he was bad news!” said Chris Shivaku, a local resident.

Oparanya disclosed that the camp has had a number of indiscipline cases, including drunkenness, saying it was a pity that even after these cases had been reported to the police bosses, little or no action had been taken.

“Wananchi from the area have complained to me several times that police officers at the chief’s camp are always drunk when they’re on duty. Now you can see what has happened,” Oparanya said.

Butere MP Andrew Toboso condemned the incident and described the killings as chilling.

Kakamega County Commissioner Arthur Osiya also condemned the incident, saying family wrangles should not escalate to murderous levels.

The bodies were taken to the St Mary’s Hospital mortuary in Mumias.