Kenya, 31 October 2025 - Four police officers from Maai Mahiu Police Station have been detained following the fatal shooting of their colleague, Corporal Hassan Lolkidid, during a night patrol in Nakuru County. According to police sources, the officers, Jim Murithi, Emmanuel Sang, Antony Wangombe, and Joshua Keter, were part of a patrol team that responded to a tip-off about a suspicious lorry offloading tyres and hardware materials in the Msikiti area, roughly one kilometre from the Maai Mahiu Police Station.
When they arrived, about ten men were reportedly offloading goods. The suspects scattered, prompting the officers to give chase. In the confusion, gunfire erupted, and Corporal Lolkidid was fatally shot in the chest. Initial reports suggest that none of the officers admitted to firing their weapons, all claiming they could not tell where the bullet came from. Their firearms, including Jericho and Ceska pistols, have been confiscated for ballistic testing to establish whose gun fired the fatal round.
The lorry involved in the operation was towed to the Maai Mahiu Police Station as part of the ongoing investigation.
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have since launched a probe into what they suspect might have been an attempted cover-up of the incident. A DCI officer in Naivasha confirmed the arrests, saying the case “is being handled with utmost priority” to establish accountability within the ranks.
Corporal Lolkidid’s body was moved to Umme Funeral Home pending a postmortem. The four officers are being held at Naivasha Police Station, awaiting arraignment in court. The shooting has renewed public debate over discipline and accountability within Kenya’s police service, particularly as cases of internal shootings and unexplained deaths among officers continue to draw scrutiny.
Data from the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) shows at least 37 officers were killed in the line of duty and 104 civilians died in police-related incidents in 2024, underlining persistent challenges in the force’s command structure and stress management. As investigations continue, the family of the slain officer is calling for transparency and justice. The ballistic results, expected within days, are expected to be key in determining whether the incident was a tragic case of mistaken fire or something far more sinister.
