On July 7, a 17-year-old boy from Kapchebogel village in Baringo North was wheeled into the casualty ward at the Baringo County Referral Hospital in Kabarnet, bleeding profusely from a gunshot wound.
The teenager who had been referred from Kabartonjo Sub-County Hospital is reported to have been shot around 5 am by Kenya Forest Service (KFS) rangers near Kasisit shopping centre, within the Saimo Forest.
According to local residents, the boy was confronted by armed rangers while on his way to the shopping centre.
Fearing for his safety, he tried to flee and was shot in the chest and the bullet went through his stomach.
Francis Chebii, a relative, claimed that after the shooting one of the officers called the area chief and falsely reported that the teen had been "pricked by wood" and was bleeding.
“The teen was simply passing through the forest when he was ambushed and shot. To conceal the act, they claimed it was an accident,” Mr Chebii said.
A 17 year-old boy from Kapchebogel village, Baringo North undergoing treatment at the Baringo County Referral Hospital on July 7, 2025.
Photo credit: Florah Koech | Nation
Alerted by the chief, the boy’s relatives rushed to the scene and took him to Kabartonjo Hospitaal where doctors confirmed a serious gunshot wound. He was later transferred to Baringo County Referral Hospital and then referred again to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) in Eldoret for specialised surgery.
“The scans revealed blood in the chest and abdominal cavity. We referred him to MTRH, where a cardiothoracic and general surgeon could attend to the damage,” said Dr Gerishon Abakalwa, Baringo County Referral Hospital superintendent.
Residents say the KFS officers involved fled the area after the incident. Locals have accused the officers stationed at Kasisit of harassing and threatening those who use Saimo Forest paths especially women and children collecting firewood.
“If the boy had committed a crime, they should have arrested him and taken him to court, not shot him like an animal,” said his cousin.
Hosea Chebon, a local elder, condemned the incident.
“We want justice. This is not the first time KFS officers have used excessive force. Women are harassed, and now an innocent teen is fighting for his life,” he said.
A 17 year-old boy from Kapchebogel village, Baringo North being wheeled to Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret for referral after being shot by Kenya Forest Service officers in unclear circumstances on July 7, 2025.
Photo credit: Florah Koech | Nation
Baringo North Sub-County Police Commander Nicholas Kiprop confirmed that two KFS officers involved claimed in their statements that they were on routine patrol around 6 am when they confronted four men allegedly harvesting cedar trees. They alleged that during a scuffle, one of the men attacked them with a machete, prompting them to shoot.
This is not the first time KFS officers in Baringo and surrounding regions have been accused of brutality.
On February 5 this year, 26-year-old boda boda rider Augustine Kipng’etich was assaulted and shot by KFS rangers at Narasha Forest in Eldama Ravine. He had been sent by a client to collect fencing posts when he was confronted by officers.
To cover their actions, the officers took him to Eldama Ravine Sub-County Hospital. He was later referred to Nakuru Referral Hospital where he succumbed to injuries two days later.
Three rangers Hillary Bett, McDonald Wafula and Robert Ngilimo were arraigned at the Eldama Ravine Law Courts and charged in connection with his death.
In yet another incident in May last year, Stephen Mwangi, a 19-year-old Form Three student at Maji Mazuri Secondary School, died at the ICU of MTRH after being brutally assaulted by forest officers.
According to his mother Mary Wambui, Mwangi had gone to the forest to deliver Sh500 to secure her release after she was detained by KFS officers for allegedly engaging in illegal logging. She had gone to prune trees on their farm, which borders the forest.
Ms Wambui said the officers demanded a Sh2,000 bribe. After she managed to send Sh1,500 through a neighbour, she called her son to bring the remaining amount. When Mwangi arrived, he found his mother being beaten and tried to intervene only to be assaulted himself with metal rods and other crude weapons.
“They beat him until he collapsed. Then they fired three gunshots in the air and called for a vehicle to take us to Eldama Ravine Police Station,” she said.
At the hospital, Mr Mwangi was handcuffed to the bed and remained unconscious. Two days later, he was referred to MTRH where he died three days later. A medical report showed he had a cracked skull, a blood clot on the brain, and broken ribs.
The incident sparked protests from hundreds of locals, who accused KFS of routine harassment and brutality, particularly targeting women, children, and the elderly.
Maji Mazuri MCA Solomon Kuria condemned the killings and demanded investigations. Five rangers Zipporah Chepkirui, Charles Korir, Simon Njoroge, Stanley Njoroge and Francis Lemiso were arrested and charged with murder.
Chief Conservator of Forests Alex Lemarkoko denounced the incidents, stating that KFS does not condone such behavior by officers tasked with enforcing environmental laws.
With the latest shooting, locals say they’ve had enough of the violence and impunity.
“How many more lives must be lost before something is done?” asked Susan Wacuka, a local resident who witnessed one of the previous incidents. “These are not isolated cases — this is a pattern.”
