A 24-year-old charcoal worker was shot and killed after two armed men attacked a group of casual labourers in Farhareli area, Bangale Sub-County, Tana River County.
The incident occurred at about 9pm on Saturday, September 26, 2026, police said on Monday.
According to police, the six casual labourers were working for a woman, a charcoal business dealer, when they were attacked by two gunmen.
The attackers reportedly fired one shot, killing Robert Mtalii Ekitela.
Police said the bullet entered through the left side of his neck and remained lodged in the body.
A 7.62×51mm cartridge casing was recovered at the scene and preserved as an exhibit as investigators work to establish the circumstances and motive behind the shooting.
The body was moved to Mwingi Level Four Hospital Mortuary for preservation pending a post-mortem examination.
Police have launched investigations and are pursuing the two gunmen.
Meanwhile the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) is investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a man at the Kitengela police station.
Eric Otieno a Kenyan-American citizen, is alleged to have died inside the station’s cells after he was arrested together with two friends while leaving a nightclub on September 18, 2026.
This was after he collapsed therein.
His family alleges neglect by police officer as he had underlying conditions, maintaining he had committed no offence when he was arrested.
One of the men arrested alongside Otieno gave an account on the incident that raises more questions about what happened inside the station.
He claims Otieno offered to clean the cells in exchange for his release.
But what began as an apparent attempt to secure his freedom would take a deadly turn.
“He was rolling down and I started seeing him convulsing and noises coming from him. I banged on the door for police officers and they didn’t respond by the time they come they flashed the light and from what I can see his eyes were protruding and eyes were very red the vain on his neck were very protruding,” he said.
He claims they desperately tried to alert police officers as Otieno’s condition deteriorated but the response did not come in time.
The family had been trying to raise money after learning that he had been arrested and was seeking his release.
A post-mortem examination conducted on Saturday reportedly found no external injuries consistent with an assault.
The examination also reportedly established that the deceased had tuberculosis and a kidney-related illness.
Those findings are now part of the evidence that investigators will have to scrutinize as they seek to establish if he was properly managed while he was in custody.
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