Police Interrogate a man / AI Illustration The police officer who was killed in a morning attack outside State House, Nairobi, has been identified as Police Constable Ramadhan Khamisi Matanka.
According to a police report released on Monday, Matanka was fatally speared with an arrow by a suspect, identified as Kinyuka Kinyumi, 56, on Monday morning while manning the entrance to the facility along Dennis Pritt Road.
The incident occurred at around 8:15 am as officers from the General Service Unit (GSU) were conducting routine security checks on vehicles entering the premises, the police report said.
According to the police report filed, the attacker suddenly drew a bow and shot the officer, striking him in the left side of the chest.
The officer sustained critical injuries and was rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital, where he succumbed while undergoing emergency treatment.
The suspect was quickly subdued and arrested by other officers at the scene. He is currently being held in police custody as investigations continue into his motive and identity.
Earlier, the suspect claimed to have been sent by Satan to attack the officer.
“This man claims he was sent by Satan to attack the police officer. He killed him, and he is lucky to be alive himself,” said an officer aware of the developments.
Witnesses said the suspect walked to the scene posing as a member of the street families and carrying a sack. He had stuffed the spear in the sack.
He then hid behind a flower bed and removed it before spearing the slain officer in the chest, witnesses said. By then, the officer and two others were busy checking and clearing a car that was getting into the State House.
Senior police officers led by Kilimani police boss Patricia Yegon and her DCI counterpart Hussein Mahat visited the scene and the hospital where the body lay. They said the suspect is under probe for more on the motive.
Other officials from State House were also present at the hospital. The incident came hours after another GSU officer was strangled and drowned near Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after an altercation with a man.
The State House and state lodges are guarded by the officers drawn from GSU’s G-Company.
The team also guards the president's homes and other premises. The president also has the Presidential Escort Unit, which is a fully-fledged team, that can handle the movement of the President and his family anytime.
They, however, usually get the help of the local police whenever the President visits.
