KDF soldier shot dead in Nairobi during curfew hours

A KDF soldier was shot dead in a suspected robbery in Utawala, Nairobi in the night of Tuesday, 20 April at around ten pm.

According to police, Joseph Mwangi Thitu was accosted near Magunas Supermarket along the Eastern By-pass by three armed men on a motorcycle who ordered him to surrender his backpack.

"The ordered him to surrender a backpack he was carrying and when he resisted, one of the armed men shot him. The thugs then made away with the backpack," read part of the report prepared by the investigating officers.

The robbers then boarded the motorcycle and sped towards Mawe Mbili as recounted by security guards at Maguna's supermarket who witnessed the occurrence and rushed the KDF soldier to hospital.

He was pronounced dead on arrival at Bristol Park Hospital and his body taken for preservation and later an autopsy at City mortuary.

In a statement, a close assessment of the crime scene and the deceased's body by investigating officers from Kayole Police Station revealed the KDF soldier suffered a gunshot wound at his back exiting from the loin.

While Sh 37,000, a mobile phone and personal identification documents were recovered from the deceased's pockets no spent cartridge was recovered at the scene of crime.

Investigations are still ongoing as police piece up clues to arrive at the motive of the murder.

The recent murder of the KDF soldier comes after another officer was killed when bandits raided a military camp in Mukutani, Rift Valley.

Area Chief Benjamin Lecher claimed there was an exchange of fire at the military camp which led to the death of the KDF officer.

Rift Valley Regional Commissioner (RC) George Natembeya revealed that increased insecurity within the region forced security forces to conduct an operation to stamp out banditry.