A police officer was fatally shot and his weapon stolen in an ambush by suspected bandits on the evening of Monday, February 10, along the Maralal-Baragoi road in Samburu County.

Constable Humphrey Oroba was part of a police detail transporting eight remandees from Maralal GK Prisons to Baragoi for a court hearing. When they arrived at the Charda area, the officers were attacked, resulting in Oroba’s immediate death.

Other officers took cover in nearby bushes while awaiting backup. Responding officers discovered Oroba’s body on the ground with multiple gunshot wounds and the AK-47 rifle, containing 30 rounds of ammunition, was missing.

His body was transported to the Baragoi Sub County Hospital Morgue for an autopsy. The remandees, charged with offenses such as defilement and robbery with violence, escaped during the chaos.

Two other officers, initially reported missing, were later found safe with their firearms and ammunition.

Preliminary findings suggest that the attackers were aware of the officers’ movements prior to the ambush. A joint operation involving the Kenya Defence Forces, General Service Unit, and regular police has been initiated to locate the escapees and the assailants.