Chief Inspector Duncan Maina of DCI headquarters had an arms cache in his car when he killed Evanson Busienei after a botched operation in Mombasa.
The killing took place a few metres from Thindigua police post, Kiambu Road, last Friday.
Investigators, who did not want to be named, said the vehicle was loaded with guns, knives, tracking devices and sophisticated weapons.
Busienei, 28, was attached to Thindigua police post two years ago immediately after he was employed.
Evidence collected from the crime scene showed Maina first shot Busienei in the neck. Busienei fell to the ground after the first shot. Maina then jumped out of his car and shot Busienei three times in the back. Busienei was in the company of other people, whose number is not known. They were walking towards Thindigua police post. His friends scampered to safety after the shooting started.
At some point, Maina started shooting indiscriminately and hit his own car, other vehicles and nearby houses.
Witnesses told the Star a friend of Busienei, only identified as Robert, drove to Kiambu police station to report the murder. Kiambu officers arrived in three Land Cruisers. They found Busienei dead.
“The OCS asked Maina why he couldn’t have arrested Busienei instead of killing him if he was a thug,” a witness said.
Immediately Maina realised he had killed an officer, he called for reinforcement from his special unit in the DCI to protect him.
“It was during the call that they discovered two pistols tucked in his trousers. The one in the hand was cocked,” a witness said.
Officials at the post said one of the DCIs wanted the evidence destroyed. The area is crowded by DCI officers who stay along Kiambu Road. Witnesses said cops wrestled Maina to the ground as he was holding a cocked pistol.
The officers, however, discovered that the pistol he was holding had run out of bullets. Maina was taken to Thindugua police post, where his car was searched and other weapons were discovered.
Maina defended himself, saying he had gone to Mombasa for a mission but it failed and that is why he had weapons in his car. Maina’s driver said he was left in the Nairobi CBD after they arrived from Mombasa. He said all the pistols were cocked.
The officer admitted being allowed to carry only three pistols as a chief inspector. He also admitted he drove home with the cache of weapons after he found the DCI headquarters closed.