What was meant to be a fresh start for 34-year-old Lucy Wanjiru on the first day of 2026 quickly turned into a nightmare that would forever define her life.
As the world ushered in the New Year with celebrations, Wanjiru made a deeply personal decision: to end her two-year relationship with her boyfriend, Corporal Collins Kochei.
The police officer attached to Tangi Tano Police Post in Gilgil, Nakuru County, had been in a rocky relationship with the bar waitress.
But Wanjiru’s decision to walk away would turn her life upside down and ultimately claim Kochei’s as well.
Wanjiru, a waitress and mother of two, is now lying in a hospital bed, battling pain, trauma and uncertainty, while doctors fight to save her life.
Dr Flora Moraa, a medical officer at Nakuru Specialist Hospital, said Wanjiru was transferred to the facility three days ago from Nakuru Teaching and Referral Hospital with multiple gunshot wounds.
“She underwent major abdominal surgery. She also sustained fractures in her arm and pelvis and a bladder injury. Since she is a trauma patient, we have a procedure of dealing with the case and monitor how she will respond to treatment,” Dr Moraa said.
From her hospital bed, Wanjiru recounted the terrifying day when four bullets tore through her body and left her former lover dead just meters away.
The previous night, the couple had spent time together and there were no signs of the horror that would unfold hours later.
On the morning of January 1, Kochei drove Wanjiru to her workplace before heading out for personal errands. At 11 am, he returned in plain clothes. Wanjiru said in the interview that she told him she was ending their relationship.
“He didn’t respond immediately. I thought he was taking it in. But then he asked if I was sure and I told him I needed to be on my own. I didn’t realise the anger boiling inside him,” she said.
Kochei then quietly left the bar without uttering a word, leaving Wanjiru to attend to patrons.
Wanjiru says she assumed he was cooling off. Instead, Kochei drove to Tangi Tano Police Station, accessed his service firearm and returned to the bar with a deadly plan in motion.
When he returned, Kochei opened fire, pumping four bullets into Wanjiru’s leg, arm and chest as screams filled the air and patrons scrambled for safety. In a final act, the officer turned the gun on himself.
Wanjiru was rushed to Nakuru Teaching and Referral Hospital and later transferred to Nakuru Specialist Hospital due to a doctors’ strike that threatened urgent treatment.
“He drove in at high speed, stayed in the parking lot and seemed to be hiding something. Then the shots rang out. People ran for their lives,” a witness, John Mutiu, recounted.
Miriam Wanjiru, during her interview at Nakuru Specialist Hospital on January 18, 2025. Her family is demanding justice after her relative Lucy Wanjiru was shot four times by her boyfriend, a police officer who died by suicide.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
Beyond the physical injuries, Wanjiru now faces emotional trauma and an uncertain future. Her business has been disrupted and the responsibility of caring for her two children has fallen entirely on her mother.
She revealed that she met with the dead officer in the Kiambogo area where she was operating a shop and he was a regular customer. A friendship later blossomed into love that lasted months before it ended in the death of one partner and serious injuries to the other.
Wanjiru later opened a bar which Kochei was one of the frequent patrons and would often give her company while off duty.
“Yes, we had fights in our relationship, but it never reached this point. We often reconciled after arguments. But I did not expect that it would end in a shooting as it turned out,” Wanjiru stated.
Wanjiru’s sister Miriam said that on the fateful day at around 8 pm, she received a distressing phone call from Wanjiru’s mother informing her what had transpired and that she should rush to the hospital.
At the hospital, she found doctors attending to Wanjiru before she was admitted and was later wheeled to the theater for surgery.
As a family, they opted to transfer Wanjiru to another facility due to the ongoing doctors’ strike as she needed urgent surgery to rectify her bladder.
“As Wanjiru undergoes treatment, with rising cost of medication, the responsibility of taking care of her two children and educating them has fallen on her mother,” Miriam stated.
Mr David Kuria, executive director of the Nakuru Human Rights Network and Imlu's regional monitor on January 18, 2026.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
David Kuria, executive director of the Nakuru Human Rights Network, said the family has reported the incident to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa).
“We want justice for Wanjiru. Her life was nearly destroyed, her business shattered, and her children left vulnerable. This tragedy highlights the urgent need for psychological evaluation for officers, stricter firearm control, and stronger support systems,” Mr Kuria said.
