Central Region Police Commander Fredrick Shisia has denied claims that the two suspects killed in Murang'a were a result of extra-judicial killings by police officers.
He said that the suspects were members of an organized criminal gang that has been extorting Kenyans.
Addressing the press in his office in Nyeri town, Shisia said suspects who are being linked with robbery at the Unaitas Sacco and snatching guns from the police officers manning the Sacco were not killed by police officers, but they were fatally injured as the officers and the other criminal gang were engaging in a gunfire exchange.
"Police officers pursued the criminal gang from the forest following information from the members of the public and it is then when we arrested two suspects who were carrying a bag with money amounting to Ksh1.1 million believed to have been stolen from Unaitas.
"We went back to the forest to pursue the other gang members who engaged us in gunfire and in the process the two suspects were fatally injured," said Shisia.
Police recover stolen guns
Shisia said the two were fatally injured due to their inexperience and the criminals upon sensing defeat dropped the two guns, an AK 47 and G3 rifle and disappeared.
He noted that by the time the guns were being recovered from the gang, the AK 47 which had 30 rounds of ammunition had only 14 rounds of ammunition indicating that 16 rounds were missing while the G3 rifle had only eight rounds indicating that 12 rounds were missing.
"We made a full recovery of the firearms that were stolen but there were missing rounds of ammunition and we don't know what purpose they were used for. We are, however, pursuing the other suspects," he said.
He, however, invited Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) to carry out their independent investigations in relation to the incident stating there is nothing to hide.
"Let us commend the police for a job well done, a firearm on the wrong hands is dangerous. Where we have issues of concern let the relevant investigating agency carry out the investigations and the outcome will give us a different outlook," he said.
