Senior Immigration officer shot dead in Turkana while on morning run

A senior immigration officer was on Sunday morning shot dead by unknown gunmen at the Lokichoggio border town in Turkana West.

Confirming the incident, area Assistant County Commissioner Kennedy Omollo said the killers murdered Philip Sitienei, 43, while he was on his morning run on the Lokichoggio –Nadapal highway.

“The deceased was murdered after assailants ambushed him and shot him several times. We have launched an investigation into the incident,” Omollo said.

He said he suspects the killing was well organized by highly trained killers who had prior knowledge of Sitienei's movement.

“Why would the assailant shoot him and collect the spent cartridges at the scene?” Omollo said.

But detectives still managed to recover an empty cartridge at the scene.

According to him, there were two attackers at the scene, going by the footprints at the scene about 2km from Lokichoggio town.

He said the attackers had targeted Sitienei, who is not the only resident who runs in the morning on the said highway.

According to the police, the incident occurred at around 7.30 am. A motorist spotted the body lying on the road about a kilometre from a military camp.

The administrator said police officers rushed to the scene and found the body in a pool of blood.

Police say the deceased had sustained a gunshot wound on the head, shoulder, and leg.

The body was taken to Lodwar County Referral Hospital mortuary awaiting an autopsy.

Omollo said security has been intensified as police look for the killers.