Two Kenya Forest Service guards were disarmed after they allegedly shot dead a man in the Kiptunga forest in Kuresoi, Nakuru County.
The man
was allegedly killed in a confrontation after he was found carrying a bunch of firewood
that he was suspected to have harvested from the forest in Kuresoi South.
Police
said the incident happened on Tuesday, March 1, in the evening.
It sparked tension in the area, with villagers raising concerns over such incidents.
Such past
incidents have sparked violent protests.
Police
spokesman Michael Muchiri said the suspected KFS official was with a colleague
and were patrolling the area when they found two men with firewood that they
had collected in the forest.
Firewood
harvesting is banned in the forest as part of efforts to fight deforestation.
The
discovery prompted a confrontation, and according to Muchiri, the deceased tried
to attack the officers with a sharp knife, prompting the shooting.
Police
visited the scene and confiscated the AK47 firearms from the KFS personnel as
part of the probe into the shooting.
The body
was moved to the mortuary pending autopsy.
Elsewhere
in Olpusimoru, Narok County, a 24-year-old man died after being hit by a club
in a fight with a relative over a piece of land.
Police
said Karino Kayoni was hit by a Maasai rungu on the back of his head after an
argument over a lease of their ancestral land.
The
victim sustained severe physical injury and was rushed to Olenguruone
Sub-County hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.
The
suspect escaped the scene, police said, adding that efforts to trace him are ongoing.
The body
was moved to the mortuary pending autopsy and probe.
In Rachuonyo, Homabay’s River Awach, a body was found floating on the water within Kabuki village.
Police later identified the body as that of a
15-year-old boy.
On
preliminary examination of his body, there were visible injuries on his left
ear lobs, eyelids, and around the mouth believed to have been preyed on by
water animals.
It is alleged that he has been suffering from epilepsy. The body was moved to the mortuary pending autopsy.
