Police shot and killed two suspects in separate confrontations over the weekend in Butere, Kakamega County, and Dagoretti, Kiambu County, as part of ongoing efforts to combat rising crime.

Kakamega Incident

In Songa Mbele village, Butere, officers shot dead Thomas Mboya after he allegedly attempted to rescue two accomplices arrested for stealing a motorcycle and a plastic chair.

According to police, Mboya, armed with a panga, confronted officers and threatened to attack them. One officer responded by opening fire with an AK-47 rifle, killing him on the spot.

The two arrested suspects remain in custody as investigations continue. Mboya’s body was moved to the mortuary pending an autopsy.

Kiambu Incident

In a separate case in Dagoretti, Kikuyu Sub-County, police shot dead another suspect during a dawn confrontation. His two accomplices managed to escape into nearby thickets.

Officers recovered a toy pistol and a panga from the slain suspect, who police say had been part of a gang on a robbery spree. The body was taken to the mortuary for identification and postmortem, as a manhunt for the escaped suspects continues.

Crackdown on Criminal Gangs

Elsewhere in Butere, Kakamega, police arrested four suspected members of the Gaza gang after they allegedly threatened to burn down a chief’s house. The gang confronted the local administrator at a funeral in Shihara village, where he had gone to stop a Disco Matanga party.

Police said six pangas were recovered from the suspects, who are expected to be arraigned for preparation to commit a felony. A search for more gang members is ongoing.

Authorities have vowed to intensify operations in hotspot areas to curb cases of armed robberies and rising insecurity.