A chilling cloud of horror and heartbreak has settled over Kanyonyo Market in Mwingi, Kitui County, following a gruesome double murder allegedly committed by a police officer. The suspect, a police constable stationed in the region, is now the target of an intensive manhunt after reportedly gunning down two women in cold blood on the night of August 3rd.
According to residents, gunshots pierced the night air, sending panic through the normally quiet market center. Moments later, the lifeless bodies of the two women were discovered sprawled near a shop, both victims of fatal gunshot wounds. The alleged killer, believed to be romantically involved with one of the women, fled the scene immediately after the shootings.
Witnesses paint a grim picture of escalating domestic tension between the officer and one of the victims. “They had been fighting frequently in public. That night, he showed up drunk and angry. His lover was with a friend, and it all spiraled out of control,” said one resident. Another witness revealed that the second woman was only trying to defuse the conflict when she, too, was fatally shot.
Investigators believe the suspect was intoxicated, despite being scheduled for duty that evening. After committing the murders, the officer reportedly abandoned his loaded AK-47 rifle in nearby bushes and escaped on foot toward Matuu under the cover of darkness.
The two victims’ bodies were taken to Kitui Level Four Sub-County Hospital mortuary, as grieving families begin burial preparations. Meanwhile, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has intensified efforts to locate the fugitive officer, with Lower Yatta Sub-County Criminal Investigations Officer Hadick Jumba confirming the night-long search so far yielded no arrests.
As the community reels from the shock, questions are mounting over how a trained officer, entrusted to protect, could turn predator, and whether enough is being done to address mental health and domestic conflict within Kenya’s security forces.
