Police in Kitui County have launched a major manhunt for an officer accused of shooting and killing two women — one of whom is believed to have been his girlfriend — during a shocking incident at a bar in Kanyonyoo market on Sunday night.
The suspect, who is reportedly attached to the Kanyonyoo Police Station in Yatta, Kitui County, allegedly fled the scene with an AK-47 rifle that had been assigned to him earlier in the evening.
According to preliminary reports, the officer got into a heated argument with a woman identified as Joy Mutisya, said to be his girlfriend, before pulling out his service weapon and shooting her in cold blood.
Eyewitnesses at the bar described the situation as escalating very quickly, leaving many patrons in shock. After the officer shot Joy, a second woman — believed to be a close friend of the victim — was also shot as she reportedly tried to intervene in the altercation. Both women died on the spot.
Sources revealed that after the initial shooting, Joy Mutisya tried to escape and sought refuge in a nearby house belonging to a woman named Janet Ndanu.
However, the officer followed her into the home and gunned her down there. During the same attack, another woman identified only as Judy was also shot and injured. Her full name and age had not been established at the time of the report.
Vincent Nadmuki, a resident of Kanyonyoo who spoke to the media, confirmed the timeline of the events, saying, “It all happened around 10pm. The officer was drinking with the two women when an argument broke out. Then suddenly, things got completely out of control.”
The incident has triggered public outrage among local residents, who expressed deep concern over what they called a growing trend of police-related violence.
Many pointed fingers at the police leadership for failing to take internal disciplinary issues seriously, arguing that this negligence is putting innocent lives at risk.
“This kind of brutality is becoming all too common. How many more innocent lives must be lost before proper action is taken?” asked a visibly angry resident.
Locals condemned the shooting and termed it another alarming case of extrajudicial violence involving members of the police service. They urged the government and relevant authorities to act swiftly and ensure the rogue officer is brought to justice.
By Monday morning, a full-scale multi-agency operation had been launched to track down the fugitive. Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Lower Yatta and Kitui were dispatched to the crime scene.
During their investigation, they recovered three spent cartridges believed to be from 7.62mm special ammunition, typically used with AK-47 rifles.
The bodies of the two women were taken to the Kitui Level Five Hospital mortuary, where postmortem examinations are expected to be carried out.
Meanwhile, the search for the suspect continues, with authorities calling on anyone with information that could help in the investigation to come forward.
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