A Kenya Defence Forces officer was shot dead on Monday night in a robbery in Utawala, Nairobi.
Senior private Joseph Mwangi was walking home at 8pm when a gang of three on a motorcycle accosted him and demanded his backpack.
Police and witnesses said a scuffle ensued. One attacker shot the soldier in the back, grabbed his rucksack and rode off with the others.
Guards at nearby heard the gunshot, rushed to the scene and took Mwangi to the hospital where he was pronounced dead. He was 30.
A police team sent to the scene did not recover any spent cartridge. The bullet entered and exited the lower abdomen.
Police revisited the scene on Tuesday to recover the bullet head and any other evidence.
It was not known what the backpack contained. Police are searching for the gang.
The body was moved to the mortuary for a postmortem exam.
Police have been advising the public not to resist orders from armed thugs whenever they are confronted, to ensure their safety.
Cases of armed robberies have been increasing in Nairobi during the Covid-19 pandemic. Most attacks are blamed on illegal guns in the hands of criminals.
(Edited by V. Graham)
