Police hunt for officer who allegedly killed two women, including girlfriend in Kitui

Kitui police officer kills two women at Kanyonyoo bar, flees with rifle as manhunt begins. [File, Standard]

Police in Kitui have launched a manhunt after an officer allegedly killed his girlfriend and another woman at a bar in Kanyonyoo market on Sunday before fleeing into nearby thickets.

The suspect, identified as Police Constable Bernard Siambe, was assigned to the report office at Kanyonyoo Police Station but reportedly sneaked out with an AK-47 rifle loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition.

Witnesses said the officer confronted his girlfriend, Joy Mutisya, at Password Bar following a disagreement.

Mutisya sought refuge in a nearby plot but was pursued by the officer, who shot and killed her inside the house of a woman identified as Janet Ndanu. He also shot another woman, Judy, whose full name and age were yet to be confirmed.

Stanley Nzilu, the Kanyonyoo market chairperson, alerted police after spotting an armed officer causing chaos at the bar. Before police arrived, another resident, Jacqueline Mbithe, informed them that two women had been shot.

Senior officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Lower Yatta and Kitui visited the scene, where they recovered three spent cartridges of 7.62mm special ammunition.

Police said Siambe later called the officer in charge of the station and disclosed where he had abandoned the weapon.

A search led officers to a thicket beside the road to Matuu, where they recovered the AK-47 rifle and a magazine loaded with 26 rounds.

The officer was last seen walking toward Matuu before disappearing into another thicket.

A manhunt has been launched with police calling on neighbouring stations to be on alert.

The bodies were taken to Kitui Level Five Hospital mortuary pending postmortem examinations.