A lone man who attacked the rural residence of Deputy President William Ruto was shot dead 18 hours after the dramatic incident.
The man was killed by General Service Unit personnel who were flown from Nairobi.
Police and locals said the assailant was shot dead at about 6am on Sunday, long after the incident unfolded. A gun he had snatched from a security officer at the home was recovered.
Other sources said the attacker had killed a police officer whom he had held hostage overnight.
“We have two bodies here. One of the assailant and another one of an officer whom he had stabbed and held as a shield for this long,” said a witness who was at the scene on Sunday.
Witnesses said the officers had to use an Armoured Personnel Carrier from the military to get closer to where the attacker was hiding in order to bring him down.
“He had shot at the APC as it went near the house but as he opened the curtain to check he was mowed by police bullets,” said another witness.
Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet confirmed the siege ended on Sunday morning.
“The assailant has been shot dead and the weapon he had snatched recovered from him. The siege is over,” he said.
He said nothing was recovered from the attacker apart from the firearm he had snatched from the officer.
The incident indicated the assailant could be trained how to handle weapons. Boinnet said the motive of the attack was not known but investigations had been launched.
The incident had raised many questions as to how a lone man could hold security officers hostage for that long.
The Deputy President had just left the residence when the attack occurred on Saturday at about midday. According to police and witnesses, the lone gunman had walked to the entrance of the home and demanded to see a worker inside the compound.
He told the GSU officer manning the compound that the worker owed him money for clothes and shoes. The man is supposedly a known hawker in the area.
And as the argument unfolded, he fished out a knife and stabbed the officer before snatching his weapon and keys to the gate. It was then that he walked into the compound and took refuge at a sentry few meters from the entrance.
