A police constable alleged to have fatally shot a woman in an altercation within a camp at the State Lodge in Eldoret was arrested hours later.
The General Service Unit (GSU) officer was arrested on Sunday night in the Kaptinga area along the Kapsaret–Maili Tisa bypass and a pistol recovered from him, police said.
He had earlier escaped from the scene of the shooting on Sunday evening.
Police recovered a Jericho pistol loaded with five rounds of 9mm ammunition from the officer at the time of his arrest.
He was also found with an injury on his left forefinger, which investigators suspect may have been sustained during the shooting incident.
Following his arrest, the officer was taken to Life Care Hospital, where he received treatment and was discharged in fair condition.
He was subsequently escorted to Naiberi Police Station, where he remained in custody as investigations into the shooting and murder continued.
The officer was attached to a local governor as a bodyguard.
There was panic at the State Lodge in Eldoret when he shot and killed a 45-year-old woman.
The incident happened at the General Service Unit (GSU) Mess compound, which is in State Lodge in Naiberi, Ainamoi Sub-County, Uasin Gishu county.
The camp has a mess where most police officers spend their time.
The incident occurred on Sunday, August 30, 2026, at around 5 pm, witnesses said, adding that this was after an altercation between the police officer and the deceased woman.
It is not clear what triggered the argument between the two that turned fatal.
The deceased, identified as Doris Murei, was at the GSU Mess compound when she got into an argument with a police constable. She was taking alcohol then.
A team of officers from the Uasin Gishu county Scene of Crime Management Unit, led by County Police Commander Wilborforce Sicharani, visited and processed the scene.
He said they are investigating the fatal shooting.
Seven spent 9mm cartridges, a Toyota Corolla 110 motor vehicle and a pistol holster were recovered at the scene and are being treated as exhibits.
The woman’s body was moved to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary in Eldoret pending a postmortem examination.
The incident could be linked to the rising rate of trauma among police officers in the country.
Authorities say police are exposed to many forms of trauma that lead some to suicide and murder in a worrying trend.
As part of efforts to address the trend, police authorities have launched counselling services, and the National Police Service Commission has established a unit and staffed it to attend to their demanding situation.
The counselling unit, among other things, evaluates, designs and leads an outreach programme that helps prevent mental health and substance abuse.
Officials
say police are generally on the receiving end of all community problems.
They
are expected to maintain law and order in very difficult situations, besides
putting their lives at risk.
Over
the years, a spike in deaths in the service has been linked to trauma.
