A police constable attached to the Special Police Intercept and Verification (SPIV) unit was shot dead on at Cravers, Thika West Sub County, during a routine inspection of motorcycles.
According to an eyewitness, the officers were patrolling with three colleagues when they stopped a rider whose motorcycle lacked the unique registration code required for genuine boda boda operators in Thika town.
The rider overpowered the constable, drew a firearm, and shot him in the throat while the other officers dove for cover before he could return fire. The wounded officer was rushed to Thika Nursing Home but succumbed to his injuries.
The gunman ran several meters, before escaping using another motorcycle that was ferrying a passenger near Royale Hotel. While speeding off he dropped a loaded magazine that was later recovered by crime scene investigators.
“I was rushing to drop off my customer, but as we approached the area near Royale Hotel in Section 9, a man suddenly jumped out and stopped us. He pulled out a pistol and ordered both of us to get off the motorbike,” recounted Martin Mburu, the boda boda rider whose motorcycle was hijacked during the incident.
Mburu said the armed man sped off on the stolen bike but abandoned it a short distance away near the famous Mugumo tree.
Thika DCIO Jacinta Mbaika confirmed the fatal shooting and said detectives are pursuing the assailant.
Motorcycles are regularly inspected by SPIV officers for official town codes, a security measure launched after criminals used unregistered boda bodas in robberies.
