Wanted suspect killed in Joska as DCI ties him to Westlands attack

Police identified the slain man as Vincent Ochieng, who they say had long been on their radar.

Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Director Mohamed Amin said Ochieng was linked to the Westlands attack at the ChaiiWali restaurant, adding that his accomplices were still on the run.

The confrontation unfolded in the Mapema area of Joska, along the road heading toward Busy Bee School. Police in Matungulu, working with their Criminal Investigations Department counterparts and acting on intelligence, laid an ambush at the suspect's residential plot.

According to preliminary reports, Ochieng refused to surrender and engaged the officers in a close-range gunfight. Police returned fire, fatally wounding him at the scene.

Matungulu OCPD Peter Gichohi confirmed the operation, saying the suspect had used Joska as a hideout where he was unlikely to be suspected after carrying out robberies in Nairobi. Gichohi said others linked to the crimes were still being tracked.

Officers recovered a pistol, four unused rounds and two spent cartridges at the scene. The body was taken to Kangundo Level 4 Hospital mortuary as investigations continue.

A neighbour, Mary Kaluki, said she was shocked to see armed men moving through the plot, with residents ordered to stay indoors before the exchange of fire. She said Ochieng had lived among them as a good neighbour and that no one knew where he worked. According to Kaluki, he was married with one child.