A team of detectives from Nairobi deployed to pursue an armed gang that has been operating with impunity in Kakamega and neighbouring counties fatally shot two suspects and recovered an AK47 rifle in operation.
Police believe the two are part of a gang that has been terrorizing locals in the past months.
The area has been experiencing a rise in crime incidents in the past months prompting the operation.
There has been an upsurge of brutal murder cases and robberies between May to November 2024 in the area where more than seven victims have been murdered and many others robbed and maimed leading to public outcry.
Having obtained intelligence leads to the suspect’s hideout at a rented house in Matungu village, the operators comprising the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI’s) Operation Action Team and Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau cordoned the rental unit, ordering the suspects to step out and surrender.
In defiance, the gun-hardened duo opted for a battle of guns, only to be neutralized at the sound of cocking the rifle from inside the house in the Thursday December 5 incident.
From the house of the felled men who are yet to be identified, the rifle loaded with 15 rounds of live ammunition and a Bajaj motorcycle were found.
Police in the area believe that the recovered motorcycle belongs to a fellow police officer who is in a coma at a Kakamega hospital, after he was accosted by a machete-wielding gang on the night of November 12, 2024 in Butere township.
The exhibits were secured and the bodies were moved to Bungoma County Referral Hospital mortuary for preservation and fingerprinting for identification.
Detectives vowed to pursue the remaining members of the gang in the area for justice of the victim.
Director DCI Mohamed Amin wants locals to cooperate with police by providing actionable information.
“We urge for support from all parties to ensure their safety,” he said.
