Police launch hunt after cop is tricked into handing over rifle to stranger in Kitale
Police in Kitale have launched investigations and a manhunt after a suspected conman allegedly tricked officers at Kitale Police Station and escaped with a loaded police firearm.
According to the police, the incident occurred on the night of May 20, 2025, at around 9.30 pm at Kitale Police Station.
The suspect, described as an unknown man dressed in a police raincoat, reportedly arrived at the station’s main gate and introduced himself as a newly posted officer from Eldoret Police Station.
He allegedly approached three officers manning the gate, among them a corporal who was the officer in charge at the time.
The man reportedly told the officers he was looking for accommodation within the police lines. After a brief interaction, he asked one of the officers to direct him to a nearby hotel where he could buy food.
As they walked towards the hotel, the suspect allegedly requested the officer to help carry his Styer rifle loaded with 25 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
Police said that immediately after the officer took possession of the firearm, the suspect boarded a waiting motorcycle and sped off towards Kitale town, disappearing with the weapon.
The officer did not immediately raise an alarm or inform his superior after the incident, only making contact later after efforts to trace the suspect had failed.
Following the incident, local officers activated a team of officers to search for the firearm and pursue the suspect.
Three officers who were on duty at the station gate during the incident were subsequently placed in custody pending investigations.
The incident has raised concerns over security procedures at police stations and the handling of firearms by officers on duty.
Meanwhile, police in Mombasa County are investigating an electrocution incident that claimed the life of a 23-year-old man in Bamburi area.
The deceased was identified as Amos Musyoki Wanza. According to police, he was electrocuted while fixing an electrical bulb at the gate of his grandmother’s home in Maweni area within Kisauni South Sub-County.
Police said the incident occurred while the victim was barefoot.
The body was later moved to Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary awaiting postmortem examination.