National Police Service flags to fly half-mast in honour of policemen killed in Kapedo

CYRUS OMBATI

Nairobi, Kenya: Inspector General of police David Kimaiyo has directed that all National Police Service flags be flown at half-mast for four days starting Wednesday in honour of the 21 AP officers who died in an attack in Kapedo, Turkana County.

The flags for both the services- regular and Administration Police (AP)- will be flown half-mast from Wednesday up to Saturday.

Their bodies have since been driven to Nairobi for preservation. The bandits escaped with more than 20 guns and thousands of bullets but only five of the weapons have since been surrendered.

The bandits also burnt a police vehicle before escaping.

A major operation is ongoing in the area with the military joining the hunt on the gunmen who are still holding to the guns and some police uniform.

So far two of the men believed to be bandits have been killed in the operation amid calls for the surrender of the weapons.

The military personnel were Sunday night deployed to the area hours after President Kenyatta issued an ultimatum for pastoralists in the area to smoke out bandits responsible for the killing of the policemen last Friday.

President Uhuru toured the area on Sunday and ordered locals to identify the attackers and surrender the guns and uniforms stolen from the policemen by the end of the day, failure to which a massive operation would be launched.

Eleven of the victims of the Kapedo attack had just left the Administration Police Training College in Embakasi in April this year while four left in 2011.

This gives an indication the victims were rookies to operate in such volatile area.

List of the officers who died in the attack.

Sergeant Lucas Lorengo

Corporal Kennedy Amanja

APC Pius Koroi

APC Edwin Njoroge

APC Ekono Eduko

APC Bonventure Ekwom

APC Isaac Maraka

APC Ezekiel Chege

APC Hussein Chaka

APC Daniel Mutuku

APC Edward Ekono

APC Muchina Wakamba

APC Justus Musyoki

APC Adan Maalim

APC Said Hassan Omar

APC Kevin Kiarie

APC Daniel Nadwa

APC Joseph Kimani

APC Kevin Kawinzi

Survivors

APC Francis Mathai

APC Livingstone Karunga

APC Zachary Mugendi