Itibo Police Station in Bonyunyu, Nyamira County, was reduced to ashes Tuesday night after enraged residents torched the facility in response to the fatal shooting of a 19-year-old student during a peaceful protest earlier that day.
The deceased, identified as Brian Arisa Aranda, a student at Nyamira National Polytechnic, was among demonstrators demanding the removal of their school principal and the construction of a feeder road that becomes impassable during the rainy season. The protest, which started peacefully, escalated as the students advanced toward the office of the local Member of County Assembly (MCA).
Police were deployed to disperse the crowd. Amid the chaos, Brian was shot in the abdomen by an officer and rushed to Ibara Mission Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries.
By nightfall, emotions had reached a boiling point. A furious mob stormed Itibo Police Patrol Base, looted property, vandalized officers’ houses, and eventually set the entire station ablaze. Authorities later confirmed that, while extensive damage was caused, all firearms in the station’s armory remained intact.
Nyamira South Sub-county Police Commander Elizabeth Wakuloba visited the site and confirmed that investigations into both the fatal shooting and the destruction of government property had been launched.
The incident adds to a worrying national trend: Itibo becomes the third police station set ablaze in recent weeks following similar reactions to police shootings in Homa Bay and Nyandarua counties.
As the country grapples with rising tensions between law enforcement and civilians, questions loom over police conduct, accountability, and the growing public frustration with a justice system many perceive as indifferent to young lives.
