Four Naivasha police officers detained over colleague’s shooting

A Naivasha court has ordered four police officers accused of killing their colleague to be detained for 10 days to allow for completion of investigations into the incident.

The four; Jim Murithi, Emmanuel Sang, Antony Wang’ombe, and Joshua Keter, all attached to the Mai Mahiu Police Station, are suspected of being involved in the shooting of Constable Hassan Lolkidid on October 29, 2025, at Mikiti area in Mai Mahiu Township, Naivasha sub-county.

According to investigating officer Corporal David Otieno, the deceased was shot in the chest at around 1:30a.m by unknown persons while at the scene where a lorry was being offloaded with tyres and hardware goods.

The court was told that when the officers challenged the loaders, they reportedly fled in different directions. Moments later, gunshots were heard, and Constable Lolkidid was found fatally wounded. The incident was reported at Mai Mahiu Police Station.

Corporal Otieno told the court that upon visiting the scene shortly after the incident, he found it disturbed and tampered with, saying it appeared to have been choreographed to suggest the deceased had shot himself in the chest.

“The scene looked manipulated to show that the deceased committed suicide,” he said.

He confiscated all pistols held by the four suspects and forwarded them for ballistics examination.

He further noted that a bullet is still lodged in the chest of the deceased, and a post-mortem is yet to be conducted to retrieve and analyze it.

The investigating officer said preliminary findings indicate that the suspects interfered with the crime scene by placing a firearm in the deceased’s hand and positioning it toward his chest to support a self-inflicted gunshot theory.

He also revealed that the four are suspected to have been involved in a robbery with violence incident linked to the same lorry, whose driver has since gone missing.

“Interference of witnesses is real. They are police officers, and most of those to record statements are their informers. They are now cooperating because the suspects are in custody,” he told the court.

Corporal Otieno asked the court to detain the four for 21 days, citing fears that their release would lead to witness intimidation and obstruction of justice.

He said the suspects were highly trained and skilled in firearms, and that there was a missing weapon still at large, posing a threat to the community.

He added that if released, the suspects could also intimidate the missing driver and other witnesses critical to the investigation.

The officer, who was extensively cross-examined, remained firm that continued detention was necessary to ensure a fair and complete investigation.

However, defence lawyer Danstan Omari opposed the prosecution’s application, urging the court to grant the officers bail.

He argued that bond is a constitutional right, and that the State had not shown any actual attempt by the suspects to interfere with witnesses.

“The prosecution’s fears are based on mere apprehension,” lawyer Danstan Omari argued, adding that interference with witnesses is a criminal offence and should be supported by evidence before bail can be denied.

He submitted that the accused persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty, urging the court to uphold their constitutional rights under Articles 49(1)(h) and 50(2) of the Constitution.

After considering submissions from both parties, the court ruled that the four suspects be detained at Naivasha Police Station for 10 days to allow investigators to finalize crucial aspects of the case, including the retrieval and ballistic analysis of the bullet, recording of witness statements, and the tracing of the missing driver.