In a shocking incident, a senior police officer opened fire on Makadara Principal Magistrate Monica Kivuti during an open court session in Nairobi.
The attack occurred immediately after the magistrate made a ruling involving the policeman’s wife.
The chief inspector, enraged by the court’s decision to cancel bail for his wife, shot at Magistrate Kivuti, injuring her. The judiciary explained that the magistrate had cancelled the bond for an accused person who had jumped bail and failed to provide satisfactory explanations for doing so.
Other officers present in the courtroom responded swiftly, with one officer shooting the offending policeman, resulting in his death. In the ensuing chaos, three other officers were injured.
A police situation report confirmed that the injured magistrate and officers are receiving treatment in the hospital. The judiciary, in a statement, clarified the circumstances leading to the shooting: “Immediately this decision was pronounced, a person shot at the magistrate and injured her on the hip.”
Initial reports indicated that the shooter was a police officer married to the suspect involved in the court case. Investigations into the incident are ongoing.
Chief Registrar of the Judiciary, Winfridah Mokaya, expressed the judiciary’s commitment to enhancing security measures to ensure the safety of judicial staff and other court users. “As the judiciary family, we wish our colleague a quick recovery. We also send our condolences to the family of the officer who lost his life in this unfortunate incident,” Mokaya said.