On June 12, 2022, the life of 19-year-old Whitney Atieno was tragically cut short by a single bullet fired by a police officer in Lake View Estate, Nakuru City,
During the incident which sparked national outrage, another student, 18-year-old Ruth Waithera, sustained serious gunshot wounds.
Atieno, a Form Four student at Nakuru Central Secondary School and Waithera from Flamingo Secondary School had gone to a salon to braid their hair when they were shot.
Witney Atieno, 19, a Form Four student at the Nakuru Central Secondary School who was allegedly shot by police officers on June 12, 2022.
Photo credit: Courtesy
Chief Inspector Erick Mukone Wekesa, then Officer Commanding Station (OCS) of Bondeni Police Station, was leading a police raid targeting members of the outlawed Confirm gang when he allegedly shot Atieno dead. Waithera was left nursing severe hand injuries.
The incident ignited protests in Lake View, as residents demanded justice.
An autopsy conducted on June 23, 2022 at Nakuru Level Five Hospital mortuary revealed that Atieno died from massive bleeding caused by a single gunshot wound to the abdomen. Government pathologist Dr Titus Ngulungu reported that the bullet entered through the front and exited through her lower back, describing the wound as consistent with a close-range discharge from within 50 meters.
Whitney was buried on July 2, 2022, in Ukwala, Siaya County.
Three years later, the officer linked to the fatal shooting remains free even after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) recommended his arrest and prosecution.
“Despite clear evidence, the officer has never been arraigned. We are still waiting. My daughter was bright, hardworking and disciplined. She had a promising future but that bullet robbed us of everything,” said Mr Ogunyo.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) took over the matter, conducted investigations and forwarded the file to its legal committee in Nairobi. The file was then sent to the DPP.
On October 3, 2024, the DPP recommended that Chief Inspector Wekesa be charged with murder but little progress has been made.
The Nation has learned that on January 29, 2025, the DPP recalled the file for review.
Whitney’s case is not isolated as over the past two years, at least five civilians have been killed by police bullets in Nakuru while others have died mysteriously or disappeared while in custody.
On June 9, 2025, the killing of garbage collector Duncan Nderitu further fuelled public concern. Nderitu, a resident of London Estate, was shot in the head in broad daylight during a confrontation between police and residents.
Director of Nakuru Human Rights Network David Kuria says the city appears to be a hotbed for extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.
“We’ve documented more than five cases of people either killed by police or who vanished while in custody. Whitney’s case is just one. The officer linked to her death has never taken a plea,” said Mr Kuria.
Many investigations into police killings in Nakuru have stalled, allegedly due to interference or lack of political will even as families remain in anguish as cases grow cold.
The family of Benjamin Indi, a boda boda rider killed during the 2023 anti-government protests in Stima Line area is still awaiting justice. He was reportedly shot by anti-riot police officers.
Danson Kahuria's family also continues to seek answers. Kahuria was found dead in a police cell at Kiptangwany Police Post on September 11, 2023. Officers claimed he committed suicide, but a postmortem revealed he was tortured and strangled.
In another troubling case, Festus Muthui , a local mechanic, died in custody on December 24, 2024, at Bondeni Police Station. He had been held for four days without being formally charged. An autopsy by Dr Ngulungu confirmed Muthui died from internal bleeding due to severe head trauma.
Festus Muthui Kitili, 26, spent four days at Bondeni Police Station in Nakuru without being formally charged.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
“He suffered multiple blunt-force head injuries. He also had a fractured sternum, leg wounds, and bruises on his neck and shoulders,” said the report.
Six months on, investigations into Muthui’s death have stalled.
Two Nakuru families have also reported the mysterious disappearance of their loved ones while in custody of Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officers.
Brian Odhiambo, a 33-year-old fisherman, has been missing since January 18, 2025. He was arrested by KWS rangers for allegedly trespassing into Lake Nakuru National Park. Officers reportedly tracked him to his Manyani Estate home and arrested him. Since then, Odhiambo has not been seen or heard from.
Nakuru City-based butcher Brian Stingo, who has been missing since July 24, 2022 (left), and fisherman Brian Odhiambo.
His disappearance has sparked community protests with his wife Alvy Okello describing her pain and helplessness.
“Every effort to find him has failed. We’ve searched hospitals, mortuaries—everywhere. Each day, hope fades,” she said.
“I don’t sleep. I just want my son—alive or dead—so I can get closure. If he’s dead, I need a body to bury,” she said.
Six KWS officers have since been charged with Odhiambo’s abduction. Francis Wachira, Alexander Lorogoi, Isaac Ochieng, Michael Wabukala, Evans Kimaiyo, and Abdurahman Ali were arraigned on May 19, 2025.
During a visit to Nakuru on March 19, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen promised to assist in tracing Odhiambo and holding KWS officers accountable. His comments came after Auma interrupted his public address to plead for her son.
However, months later, the family says they have received no communication from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) or the DPP.
Another family is grieving in silence is that of Brian Stingo, 21.
He disappeared in July 2022 during an illegal fishing expedition at Lake Nakuru. He worked as a butcher at Bethlehem Butchery and had joined friends for night fishing when he was reportedly pursued by KWS rangers. He never returned home.
Elizabeth Auma, the mother of missing fisherman Brian Odhiambo, wails at the Nakuru Law Court on February 6, 2025.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
His mother, a 56-year-old single mother of seven says she has lost faith in ever finding her son alive.
“That night he left with his friends but never came back. We searched everywhere in hospitals, police stations, mortuaries but he vanished. I just want closure she said,”
