This archive report was first published on 24 November 2019.
Published on November 24, 2019, a weekend of violence in Nairobi saw four suspects, including two police officers, gunned down in botched robberies.
According to authorities, the officers were in civilian clothes and armed when they were separately ambushed by their colleagues on Friday and Saturday.
The first incident occurred in Ruaka, Kiambu County, where a police officer was killed alongside a taxi driver in an ambush by police officers. The officers claimed the suspects were planning to commit a robbery at Ruaka Court Yard.
However, authorities say the suspects were targeting a house where two Nigerians live when the officers ambushed them, leading to a deadly shooting. A government-registered Jericho pistol with 10 rounds of ammunition was recovered, as well as a car suspected to have been used by the robbers.
A second police officer was killed in downtown Nairobi at the junction of Mwatate/Ukwala, where pedestrians had complained of ongoing robbery. The officer was in civilian clothes at the time of the incident, which occurred on Saturday at 2 am.
The National Police Service has since rolled out new operational changes to address cases where police are involved in crime. Inspector-General of Police Hilary Mutyambai announced that no officer will be allowed to be in plain clothes while on official duty, and a special squad known as SPIV was disbanded.
Deputy Inspector General Edward Mbugua rolled out the new rules, ordering no police officer to retain a firearm while off duty. Officers will be required to surrender their weapons with the armory at their respective stations before leaving.
