An apparent murder-suicide has left two officers dead in a tragic love triangle in Mwea, Kirinyaga County.
A statement recorded Monday morning at Wang’uru police station indicates that a prison warder shot dead a policeman and then turned the gun on himself at Mwea GK Prison staff quarters.
According to witnesses, the police officer based in Kianyaga had gone to visit his estranged wife, sergeant Esther Muthoni, at around 9.30 pm on Sunday when he found the prison officer having dinner with her.
The cop, identified as Bonface Mithamo, reportedly picked a quarrel with Mr Kering Kipkosgei. They proceeded to exchange blows, with Muthoni trying in vain to separate the love rivals.
“As they were having supper together with her children, CPL Bonface Mithamo Ngaragari, who was her former husband, opened the door and entered into the house. He immediately started quarreling with Kering Kipkosgei demanding to know what he was doing in the house,” the police statement read.
After Mithamo had overpowered Kipkosgei, the warder went to the kitchen where he withdrew his Ceska pistol and fatally shot the cop.
Kipkosgei is said to have shot Mithamo twice in the head; the cop sustained severe injuries from the neck up, as the bullet entered through the right side of his neck and exited through the left side of the head.
After realizing that he had fatally shot the officer, the suspect ran outside and shot himself in the head.
The officers were pronounced dead on arrival at the Karira Mission Hospital in Mwea. Their bodies were taken to Mwea Mission Hospital mortuary awaiting autopsy.
Detectives investigating the incident recovered one Ceska pistol, 11 rounds of 9MM, four spent cartridges, and one bullet head of 9MM.
Mwea East police boss Daniel Kavita said investigations are ongoing.
