Police officer injured during arrest of suspect at a Nairobi rally

Nairobi Gubernatorial aspirant Peter Kenneth (centre) flanked by Embakasi Central MP John Ndirangu (left) and Kasarani MP John Njoroge during a church service at PCEA Kayole in Nairobi. [PHOTO DAVID NJAAGA/STANDARD]

A police officer was seriously wounded by unknown assailants at a rally in Kayole, Nairobi, on Sunday.

The officer and his two colleagues were arresting a man at a meeting addressed by Embakasi Central MP John Ndirangu and Nairobi governorship aspirant Peter Kenneth when the attack happened.

According to police, Mr Ndirangu and Mr Kenneth were addressing about 70 people when Ndirangu asked the officers to arrest a man who was present at the meeting and whom he described as a criminal.

As one of the officers pinned the suspect down, he was hit on the head by an object thrown from the crowd.

Nairobi police boss Japheth Koome said they were yet to establish who hit the officer.

"The officer is in stable condition and we are looking for whoever attacked him. We don't know the motive but the suspect in question was arrested," said Mr Koome.

"It was established he was hit by a blunt object. He was operated on and discharged," said Koome.

And police in Mtito Andei arrested two General Service Unit officers after they were found driving suspiciously in the town. One of the officers was said to be attached to former Inspector General of Police David Kimaiyo's residence.

Separately, a suspected thug was yesterday morning shot dead in a botched robbery in Huruma, Nairobi.

Recovered Pistol

Police said they recovered a pistol and stolen household goods from him. His accomplices escaped on foot.

Police said they had intensified operations in the area to tame rising crime. This brought to seven the number of suspects killed in Nairobi within four days.

Over the weekend, six suspects were killed by police in separate robbery attempts. Three guns were recovered from the scenes of crime in Embakasi, Mathare and Kayole.

The first incident, in Mathare, saw two suspects killed on Saturday night. Police said the men were part of a gang that had been attacking and robbing residents when the alarm was sounded.

Two others were killed in Embakasi in similar circumstances. According to Koome, the men, who were armed with guns and crude weapons, were attacking and robbing pedestrians and motorists.

Two others were killed during a botched robbery in Kayole on Saturday. Police said they recovered a pistol from the suspects. The bodies were moved to City Mortuary.