Senior police officer dies in head-on crash on Machakos–Kitui road

A senior police officer died after the car she was driving was involved in a head-on collision with a lorry along the Machakos–Kitui road in Mwala Sub-County, Machakos County.

The crash occurred at about 11 pm on Sunday, June 28, in the King’atwani area, police said.

The deceased was identified as Inspector Felistus Kateve Mbaluka, who was in charge of Makutano Police Patrol Base in Mwala Sub-County.

Police said Inspector Mbaluka was driving a Toyota Vitz from Machakos towards Kitui when it collided head-on with an Isuzu FRR lorry travelling in the opposite direction.

She sustained multiple fractures to both legs, both hands and the neck.

She was rushed to Tumaini Private Hospital in Masii Town, where she died while undergoing treatment.

Police said her body was later moved to Montezuma Funeral Home, where it will be preserved pending a post-mortem examination.

The lorry driver survived the crash, and investigations have been launched to establish the circumstances surrounding the accident.

The incident was among 10 fatal cases reported across the country on Sunday night, police said. The bodies were moved to mortuaries pending autopsy.

Police say fatal accidents have been increasing despite ongoing efforts to address the problem.

In a separate incident, a senior police officer was arrested after allegedly shooting a man during an altercation at a bar in Githioro Trading Centre, Nakuru North Sub-County.

According to police, the incident occurred at about 2.30 p.m. on Sunday, June 28, when a 56-year-old man reported that he had been shot by a police officer inside a bar at Githioro Trading Centre.

Members of the public escorted the injured man to Githioro Police Station, where the incident was reported before he was taken to Wysley Mission Hospital for first aid.

He was later referred to Nakuru Provincial General Hospital, where he was admitted in fair condition.

Police officers visited the scene and began investigations.

Preliminary investigations indicate that a senior officer in the area allegedly became involved in an altercation with the complainant over undisclosed reasons before drawing his issued Duma pistol and firing a single shot.

Police said the bullet struck the man in the right ankle, entering from the right side and exiting through the left.

After the shooting, the officer reportedly collected a spent 9mm cartridge and surrendered it, together with the firearm, to the station report office. The pistol contained 13 rounds of ammunition.

Police records indicated that the officer had officially been issued the firearm with 15 rounds of 9mm ammunition on June 26.

Investigators have since established that one round of ammunition remains unaccounted for, and searches at both the officer’s house and the scene are ongoing.

The firearm, a magazine loaded with 13 rounds, and the recovered spent cartridge have been documented in the station’s firearms movement register and handed over to detectives for forensic examination. The officer remains in custody as investigations continue.