- There are fears the missing cop may hit back at the colleagues
- Constable Robert Longare is missing with his G3 rifle that was loaded with 20 bullets after he allegedly shot and killed his colleague John Siro in an argument.
Image: HANDOUT
A police marksman is on the run after he shot and killed his colleague at a camp in the troubled Laikipia County.
Constable Robert Longare is missing with his G3 rifle that was loaded with 20 bullets after he allegedly shot and killed his colleague John Siro in an argument Tuesday.
Siro was shot in the chest from the back in their sentry and the motive is yet to be known.
He fled the scene while shooting at his colleagues who tried to pursue him after the incident.
Police authorities fear Longare who is a marksman may try to revenge on their colleagues who are pursuing him and an alert has been issued in Miteta area for caution.
The officers are from the Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU) team that is based at Miteta camp under the newly created Kirima Sub County.
They are part of a team of security agencies fighting gunmen operating on private ranches in the larger Laikipia County.
The deceased officer’s body was moved to the mortuary as the hunt on the missing one goes on. His mobile phone was recovered at the scene.
ALTERCATION
Laikipia County Police Commander John Nyoike said the two officers engaged in an altercation at the camp in the area before one of them reached his firearm and attacked his colleague.
After the incident, the armed officer took off with his belongings including the firearm involved in the attack.
The incident increases the number of officers who have been killed in the area in the ongoing operations to fight gunmen operating in the area.
More than 20 police officers have been killed in the area in the past five months in separate attacks.
The gunmen have been pushed out of most of the ranches in the operation.
As part of efforts to restore order, interior Cabinet Secretary Matiang’i announced the creation of a police division at Ol Moran.
Ol-Moran was gazetted as the headquarter for Kirima sub-county. He said two additional police stations will be established in the flashpoint zones
There will also be additional National Police Reservists to recruit and deploy in disturbed areas, he said.
Further, a training base for elite police units will be established in the area to enhance police presence and serve as a buffer zone between Laikipia residents and invaders from neighbouring counties.
The CS said there will be a deployment of surveyors to Laikipia to expedite the titling process and review/recommend action on lapsed leases or those about to lapse.
“We will engage relevant ministries and agencies on the ideal management of the Laikipia Conservancy to mitigate its attraction as a conflict hotspot,” he said.
The CS said the operation will involve a multi-agency team, all responses will be coordinated and address the real drivers of conflict, beyond the fight for pasture and water.
Edited by D Tarus