A police pursuit of gangsters who had robbed an Unaitas Sacco branch in Kigumo town on Saturday using a rifle they had stolen from a police officer in Muthithi on February 25 had initially seemed like a noble cause. However, it has since devolved into a major crisis for the National Police Service.
On Sunday, police approached the four armed gangsters in Kinyona Forest and were able to apprehend two of them. Youth cops in the area pulled out their smartphones and began filming and snapping pictures of the detained detainees. The pictures showed the males seated in handcuffs and surrounded by many armed police officers.
They then posted the video and images to social media, clearly displaying the two men as they were being arrested but also including pictures of them lying dead. This sparked rumors that the police had killed suspects who were already in custody.
Central regional police commander Lydia Ligami made a statement praising "members of the public who offered us all the actionable information that led to the arrest of the two criminals".
Later, when speaking to journalists, she modified her first story and described how the suspects had engaged the police officers in a fierce firefight.
"This resulted in the two suspects suffering fatal wounds from which we recovered two firearms and bullets that had been stolen from our officers, Sh1.14 million as part of the amount they had stolen on Saturday from Unaitas Sacco and we are pursuing the remainder," Ms Ligami said.
According to preliminary investigations, the bank may have lost anywhere between Sh3.5 million and Sh5 million.
In a Saturday press conference, Unaitas Sacco stated that the security breach at 9 a.m. "where armed persons gained access to our Mununga branch banking hall after disarming police officers manning the facility lasted less than 10 minutes" took place.
Together with others, County Commissioner Karuku Ngumo and Murang'a County police Commander Ali Nuno surrounded Ms. Ligami.
During a fierce battle, police shot the two people dead, according to a social media post by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).But, astute Internet users picked up on the differences in the images.
The accused were thus taken into custody first, stripped of their weapons, and handcuffed. They then managed to free themselves despite being encircled by numerous heavily-armed police officers, take their weapons from the officers, and take positions to start a gunfight, said one user.
The DCI removed the images that showed the suspects being restrained.
In order to help media fully comprehend the shooting, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority reached out to them.
Officials from Harambee House called Ms. Ligami yesterday morning and demanded details on the event.
Officers from the DCI, National Police Service, National Government Administration Officers, and National Intelligence Service participated in the operation.
The police chief said she put out a press statement on the premise of a briefing she received from Mr Nuno under whose jurisdiction the incident took occurred.
Mr. Nuno claimed that Kigumo Sub-county Police Chief Inviolata Lumati briefed him.
"I have called security heads to convey my disgust at the turn of events," the Lawmaker said, calling the situation a shame.
Mr Munyoro said the recent incidents in Kigumo are symptomatic of "serious security deficiencies that need to be addressed promptly".
Together, through Ms Ligami, they all said: "We would prefer to be [judged on the basis of the] technical operations without the poisoned aspect that was introduced by our indisciplined personnel who videotaped their own operation and without any authority published the photographs".
The cops who took the images, according to Ms. Ligami, are the subject of ongoing investigations. Police officers were being targeted by criminals, according to Kigumo MP Mr. Joseph Munyoro, and difficult decisions needed to be taken.
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