{Crime incidents involving firearms exclusively used by police officers, especially the AK-47 and G3 rifles, have increased in the past two months.
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Police records also indicate that at least three police officers have been shot and another seriously injured by their colleagues in unclear circumstances in the last one week.
On Monday morning, police recovered a G3 rifle from a dumpsite in Umoja Inner Core, Nairobi just a day after Nairobi Senator Gideon Sonko Mbuvi’s body guard was shot dead by a man believed to be armed with an AK-47 rifle.
The National Police Service spokesman George Kinoti said that police received a report from Mr James Waweru Njoroge and Mr Simon Muguya, who operate the site.
Police went to the scene and recovered the G3 rifle and a jungle jacket.
Police confirmed the firearm belonged to the government but by Monday evening had not revealed the unit it was issued to.
On Thursday last week alone, police recovered three AK-47 rifles, a Ceska pistol, handcuffs and jungle uniform in separate incidents in Kayole, Ruiru and Nanyuki.
Police records indicate that AP officers from Mugendi Camp shot dead a suspect and recovered a Jericho pistol loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition in Kayole.
Another suspect was shot dead by police officers from Ruiru who recovered a Ceska pistol, handcuffs, a pair of jungle uniform 9 rounds of ammunition most used by G3 rifles and four stolen passports.
The same day, Kenya Wildlife Service personnel on rhino surveillance arrested two suspects and seized two AK-47 rifles, serial number 7031 and 629388, in Nanyuki.
At Ifo refugee camp, police recovered another two AK-47 rifles and 19 rounds of ammunition at Block A5. A suspect, Mr Hassan Maalim Mohammed, 33, was arrested and charged in court.
Another Ceska pistol loaded with 10 rounds of ammunition belonging to security agencies was recovered in Kayole on Saturday when police shot dead a suspect.
Four armed suspects had raided an M-Pesa and Equity agent shop and robbed Ms Eunice Nyokabi of cash of unknown value. As they were escaping, they shot in the air, attracting the attention of police officers on patrol.
At least five robbery victims have reported that the attackers were armed with AK-47 rifles in the last one week.
HOUSE RAID
On Friday, along Kombe Road in Karen, four suspected robbers armed with an AK47 rifle raided the house of Mr Morne Deeflefs. They robbed the family of jewelries and other household goods.
Police Headquarters on Monday said one of the police officers who shot dead a colleague would be arraigned in court on March 24.
On Thursday last week, Constable Robert Isaboke of Pangani Police Station was shot twice in the head by his colleague and dumped him in a trench. He was taken to hospital later but died the following day.
The suspect was identified as Constable Abdulahi Wako, attached to Capitol Hill Police Station. The police on Monday presented a miscellaneous application seeking more time to complete investigation.
On Thursday night, an officer attached to the Operation Linda Boni was shot and seriously injured by his colleagues in Mpeketoni Town.
Two police officers claimed that they got information from a bar owner that there was a suspicious man. They further claimed that the victim refused to identify himself and he was arrested.
The officers claimed that as he was being escorted to the station, he attempted to grab one of the officers’ rifle.
Two weeks ago, AP Constable Erick Nyakundi was shot dead by his colleagues in Kakuma in unclear circumstances.
The officer was shot two times by his colleagues from Kakuma Police Station after he was suspected of having stolen a computer belonging to the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
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