Police in Murang’a are looking for three criminals who attacked a traffic police officer and stole his pistol.
Constable Morris Mwiti was ambushed on Wednesday as he manned a roadblock on the Murang’a-Sagana road.
His colleague Caroline Njagi was helpless to rescue him and fled.
Subcounty police commander Alexander Muasya said the ambush seemed like a revenge attack.
He said the three men were walking along an abandoned railway line that intersects the road when they attacked the officer with a spade, injuring his forehead and fracturing jaw.
Mwiti lost consciousness after which the criminals took his weapon, which had 15 bullets. Muasya said the attack took place at about 4.30pm.
The three then fled towards Murang’a town on a motorcycle they had hidden in a bush.
Mwiti was rushed to Murang’a General Hospital. “We are glad the officer is responding well to treatment and we have launched a manhunt for the criminals,” Muasya said.
He urged wananchi to provide information about the attackers to the police.
A day after the attack, a gang shot and injured three people at Githagara shopping centre in Kahuro subcounty using a pistol suspected to be the stolen one.
The thugs are said to have attacked a shopkeeper at 8pm and robbed him of an unknown amount of money after pretending to buy Sh100 airtime.
Residents who saw the robbery started to scream, prompting the gang to shoot indiscriminately. Those injured were rushed to the Murang'a General Hospital with gunshot wounds to the head, stomach and limbs.
Edwin Karuri said his friend was shot in the leg.
He said his friend confronted some strangers and asked for their IDs but one of them drew a pistol and shot him.
Residents collected spent cartridges and handed them to the police.
Edited by R.Wamochie
