A police officer suspected of fatally shooting a colleague at the Wikithuki Boarder Patrol Unit (BPU) Training Camp in Tseikuru, Kitui County was arrested hours after the incident.
The suspect, identified as constable Hussein Yussuf Ali, was arrested on Monday, October 26, 2026, after instructors pursued him into a thorny bush approximately three kilometres from the scene of the shooting.
Police said the suspect was tracked down and arrested before being escorted to Tseikuru Police Station.
The arrest follows a fatal shooting incident at the training camp on Sunday, October 25, whose circumstances remain under investigation.
Police also recovered two mobile phones at the scene, one of which had been damaged by a bullet.
Another phone was recovered from the suspect, and the devices are expected to undergo forensic analysis.
The scene was processed and documented as part of the investigations.
Meanwhile, the deceased officer’s body was moved to Chiromo Hospital Mortuary pending a postmortem examination.
Preliminary investigations have linked the suspect to the shooting, although the circumstances surrounding the incident are yet to be fully established.
The deceased, identified as police constable Raphael Ojiambo, was allegedly shot by a fellow officer Ali, at around 3pm on October 25, 2026.
According to witnesses and police, Ojiambo sustained a gunshot wound to the chest, with the bullet reportedly lodging near his left shoulder.
Both officers had recently graduated and were undergoing induction training at the camp when the shooting occurred.
Police recovered two G3 rifles at the scene, one reportedly issued to the deceased and the other to the suspected shooter. No spent cartridge casings were recovered.
The suspect is alleged to have fled the camp following the incident, prompting a search operation to trace and apprehend him.
He was arrested later on.
The incident could be linked to rising rate of trauma in the service at large. Authorities police are exposed to many forms of trauma that lead some to suicide in a worrying trend.
As part of efforts to address the trend, police authorities have launched counselling services, and the National Police Service Commission has established a unit and staffed it to attend to their demanding situation.
The counselling unit, among other things, evaluates, designs and leads an outreach programme that helps prevent mental health and substance abuse.
Officials say police are generally on the receiving end of all community problems.
They are expected to maintain law and order in very difficult situations, besides putting their lives at risk.
Over the years, a spike in deaths in the service has been linked to trauma.
The World Health Organisation says such cases are also attributed to joblessness, death, academic failures or pressures, legal difficulties and financial difficulties.
Other reasons are bullying, previous suicide attempts, history of suicide in a family, alcoholism and substance misuse, depression and bipolar disorder.
The government says efforts are being made to address the menace.
