Gunman in Kapenguria attack was a police officer at the station

An armed police officer takes cover during an early morning attack at the Kapenguria police Station. (Photo: Kevin Tunoi/Standard)

Kapenguria: The gunman behind the Kapenguria police station attack was killed after almost eight hours’ siege that left at least seven officers dead.

It also emerged the gunman is a policeman who was serving at same station.

Sources said the officer turned against his colleagues and shot them dead before he was killed by GSU commandos.

"In the ensuing clearance and identification, the gunman who was earlier suspected to be an inmate held in the cells, turned out to be a local police officer who for yet unknown reasons, went berserk and grabbed a firearm from the Report Office at about 5am, which he used to attack other officers,"  read a statement from the office of the Inspector General of Police. 

One of the commandos in the rescue operation was also killed in the siege, witnesses said.

Reports indicate that the constable of police had offered to resign but his application was rejected by authorities.

“He recently graduated from Police College in Kiganjo and he was under the radar of police over his behavior. He had been unhappy over a number of issues,” said an officer on the ground.

The source said the officer behind the attack had gone off duty on Wednesday night before he returned to the station at about 5.30am Thursday.

It was then that he tried to open the cells and grabbed a gun and shot at his colleagues after a confrontation.

This marked the beginning of the eight-hour siege that was brought to an end by commandos from GSU unit.

The officer behind the killings was killed by the GSU commandos who had flown from Nairobi. Other officers said he had, however, shot and killed one of the commandos and seriously wounded another before he was felled.

It was then that it emerged the man who had been thought to be behind the siege and identified as Omar Eumod, a teacher at Victoria Primary in Kacheliba was alive in the cells.

The siege had started at about 5.30am and ended at about 2pm.

Eumod had been arrested at Nakuijit on suspicion of being a terrorist and was to appear in court on Thursday over terror related issues. He had been accused of radicalising children in the area.

"The gunman, who had a turban that covered his entire face leading to the previous suspicions, sadly killed six officers within the station building," read the statement.

Among those killed was the station commander and five of his juniors.

Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet had earlier on said: “An individual who had been arrested for suspect terror links managed to grab a firearm from a report office officer and shot at several officers on duty. His attempts to escape were thwarted by quick arrival of other officers.”