Mistaken Identity: Two police officers murdered by villagers in Kakamega

Two Administration Police officers were brutally murdered after an attack by machete wielding residents in Matindi village in Ikolomani, Kakamega county.

The slain officers are said to have been carrying out their normal security patrols in the area when a group of villagers raised the alarm claiming suspected cattle rustlers had raided their homes. In the ensuing confusion, a sergeant who was leading the operation was slashed to death as he attempted to calm the villagers

During the commotion, a constable who was accompanying him fired in the air in an attempt to scare away the villagers but was overpowered by the angry crowd and beaten unconscious. The officer was rushed to St. Elizabeth Mission hospital in Mukumu where he succumbed to his injuries

A third police officer was lucky to escape the scene unharmed. A gun belonging to the slain officer was recovered at the scene of the gruesome murder. Police who launched an operation to arrest the culprits have since arrested three people including a village elder. Villagers are reported to be fleeing their homes in fear of arrest over the murder of the two officers.