Thika officer shot in the throat during violent confrontation with boda boda rider

A police constable attached to the Special Police Intercept and Verification (SPIV) unit was shot dead on Tuesday evening at Cravers, Thika West Sub-county, after a routine inspection of motorcycles turned violent.

According to an eyewitness, Rose Makena, the officer was patrolling with three colleagues when they stopped a rider whose motorcycle lacked the unique registration code required for genuine boda boda operators in Thika town.

“When one of the officers removed the bike’s ignition key, an argument flared up between the officers and the rider, who was eating a pineapple at the time,” another witness, Peter Kariuki, added.

The rider overpowered the constable, drew a firearm, and shot him in the throat. The other officers dove for cover before they could return fire, giving the gunman time to escape.

He ran several metres, commandeered another motorcycle that was ferrying a passenger near Royale Hotel, and sped off—dropping a loaded magazine that was later recovered by crime scene investigators.

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“I was rushing to drop off my customer—a lady who wanted to get home before her children left school. As we approached the area near Royale Hotel in Section 9, a man suddenly jumped out and stopped us. He pulled out a pistol and ordered both of us to get off the motorbike,” recounted Martin Mburu, the boda boda rider whose motorcycle was hijacked during the incident.

Mburu said the armed man sped off on the stolen bike but abandoned it a short distance away near the famous Mugumo tree. The wounded officer was rushed to Thika Nursing Home but succumbed to his injuries.

Thika DCIO Jacinta Mbaika confirmed the fatal shooting and said detectives are pursuing the assailant. She promised to issue a comprehensive statement once preliminary investigations are complete.

SPIV officers routinely inspect motorcycles to ensure they display the town’s official identification code—an initiative introduced after a surge in robberies by criminals masquerading as boda boda riders.