Cop shoots woman, dies by suicide

A woman is fighting for her life at the Nakuru Level Five Hospital with multiple gunshot wounds inflicted on her by a police officer known to her at an entertainment joint in Naivasha.

Nakuru County Police Commander Emmanuel Opuru said that Corporal Collins Kochei of Tangi Tano Police Post in Naivasha also turned the gun on himself, losing his life shortly afterwards.

“The shooting incident took place at a bar known as Lucy’s Pub in the Tangi Tano area at around 7:30 pm on January 1, 2026. The two were found bleeding heavily just outside the pub,” said Opuru.

Corporal Kochei is said to have arrived at the local bar armed with his official firearm, an AK-47 rifle serial number 4915858, and shot Lucy Wanjiru Njoroge, 34, who owns the joint.

“Lucy was shot on both her breasts twice and one shot to the right thigh. He then turned the rifle on himself and shot himself through the chin, and the bullet exited on the forehead,” a police report read in part.

Scared patrons fled the scene and returned minutes later, where a volunteer offered to rush the two who were in critical condition to Nakuru Level Five Hospital.

“Unfortunately, the police officer succumbed to the injuries along the way. Luckily, Lucy arrived in hospital in good time, though she is still in serious condition,” said Opuru.

The county commander said that the cause of their conflict was not immediately established and is now under investigation by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Naivasha Division.

Meanwhile, transport was paralysed in Dundori, Bahati, along the Nakuru-Ol Kalou road following the murder of a local in a recent wave of crime in the area.

Hosea Kariuki, 20, was brutally murdered on the night of December 31, 2025, by unknown persons who stabbed him several times as he was heading to a local church for the New Year's crossover meeting.

The residents said that this was not the first attack, with several other locals surviving with injuries.

“We are demanding justice for Kariuki. It is unfortunate that since the incident happened, we haven’t seen or heard of any effort by the police to apprehend the culprits,” said Samson Gachomo, a resident.

The residents accused officers attached to a local police post of laxity in providing security, saying that patrols are not conducted regularly.

“The majority of the officers here have overstayed and should be transferred immediately. They have become too comfortable with the locals for them to act on criminals,” said Peter Waweru.