A manhunt has been launched for a police officer suspected of fatally shooting his colleague at a training camp in Tseikuru, Kitui County, as investigators seek to establish the motive behind the killing.
Police Constable Raphael Ojiambo was shot dead on Sunday, October 25, 2026, at around 3pm during an induction training exercise at the Wikithuki Border Patrol Unit (BPU) Training Camp.
The suspect, Constable Hussein Yusuf Ali, reportedly fled the camp after the shooting. Both officers were recently graduated Administration Police recruits and were said to be close friends.
📊 Channel 15 News Opinion Poll
Official police reports filed at Tseikuru Police Station indicate that Ojiambo had already succumbed to his injuries when fellow officers and emergency responders arrived at the scene.
A post-mortem examination established that he died from a single gunshot wound to the chest, with the bullet reportedly lodging near his left shoulder.
Pathologist Benard Midia said the bullet passed through the chest towards the collarbone, injuring the upper part of the lungs. Bullet fragments recovered from the back of the chest have been submitted for ballistic analysis.
Two rifles recovered at scene
Investigators recovered two G3 assault rifles at the scene, one assigned to each officer. However, no spent cartridge casings were reportedly found, raising questions about the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Investigators suspect the casings may have been removed by the fleeing officer to conceal ballistic evidence, although this has not been independently established.
Police officers from Tseikuru, working alongside personnel from the Border Police Training School, have launched a joint operation to trace and apprehend the suspect.
The motive for the shooting remains unknown.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) is handling witnesses and evidence as investigators piece together the events that preceded the killing.
Family questions circumstances of death
Meanwhile, Ojiambo’s family has raised questions about the circumstances of his death, saying there are aspects of the incident they want investigators to clarify.
Franklin Tanganyika, a relative of the deceased, questioned reports of an injury to Ojiambo’s arm, saying the family wanted to understand how it related to the fatal chest wound.
The deceased’s aunt also questioned accounts suggesting a phone charger may have triggered a disagreement between the two officers.
“We were told it was a charger, but I do not understand how people can argue over a charger to the point of killing each other, unless there was something else behind it,” she said.
The family is now seeking answers about what happened at the camp and calling for justice for the young officer.
Damaged phone could hold crucial evidence
Investigators are also expected to examine a damaged mobile phone Ojiambo was reportedly using to record a video shortly before the shooting.
One theory under investigation is that the bullet passed through the phone before striking him in the chest. Efforts to recover any recording could help establish what happened in the moments leading up to the shooting.
The circumstances surrounding the phone’s damage and the contents of any possible recording have not been conclusively established.
Midia said the findings so far did not point towards a self-inflicted gunshot wound, but further investigations were necessary to establish the circumstances of death.
The ballistic examination, witness statements and possible recovery of phone footage are expected to help investigators reconstruct the incident.
With the suspect still reportedly at large, the investigation now centres on establishing what triggered the confrontation, tracing the missing officer and determining responsibility for Ojiambo’s death.
