A police officer was arrested on Monday following the fatal shooting of a civilian during a confrontation at a petrol station in Karatina town, Nyeri County, on Sunday night.
The incident, which was reported at Karatina Police Station, occurred at around 11pm near the petrol station, where Administration Police officers were on patrol.
The deceased, a businessman, was identified as 40-year-old George Gathu Matheri.
In a press statement issued on Monday, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) said the officer suspected of killing Matheri had been detained pending arraignment.
IPOA Chairperson Ahmed Issack said a Rapid Response Team from the authority’s Nyeri Regional Office had been deployed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
“The authority calls on anyone who may have witnessed the incident to come forward with information that may assist the investigations,” Mr Issack said.
According to an Occurrence Book report filed at Karatina Police Station and seen by the Nation , two Administration Police officers — Peter Mwangi and Frankline Murangiri — were on patrol in the area when a confrontation erupted between them and Matheri.
One of the officers, Mr Mwangi, alleged that Matheri attempted to grab his AK-47 rifle during the altercation.
In the ensuing struggle, the officer shot and fatally injured the civilian, who sustained gunshot wounds to the head and chest.
The second officer, Mr Murangiri, sustained an injury to his finger while attempting to separate them.
However, witnesses who spoke to the Nation gave a different account of the incident.
One witness said the confrontation stemmed from a dispute over a parking space. She claimed that Mr Mwangi ordered the deceased to move his vehicle, but he refused, leading to a heated argument that escalated into a physical confrontation.
“I saw them arguing over a parking space. The officer demanded that Matheri remove the vehicle, but he stood his ground. The situation turned ugly and during the struggle, another officer cocked his gun and shot him,” said the witness.
Matheri’s wife, Ann Gathu, demanded justice for her husband, saying it was still unclear what triggered the confrontation.
The shooting sparked unrest in Karatina town on Monday morning, with angry residents barricading sections of the busy Nairobi–Karatina highway using rocks and burning tyres.
Transport along the route was paralysed for several hours, forcing businesses to close amid fears of looting.
The body of Mr Matheri was taken to Karatina District Hospital mortuary, where a post-mortem examination is pending.
Central Regional Police Commander Jasper Ombati said the incident occurred under unclear circumstances.
“For now, we are waiting for the investigation report from IPOA, which has since taken over the matter, so that we can understand what actually happened,” he said.
