A suspected illegal logger is fighting for his life after he was shot during a confrontation with Kenya Forest Service (KFS) officers in Baraget Forest, Kuresoi South Sub-County, Nakuru County.
According to police, the incident occurred on Saturday at around noon when three KFS officers were conducting a routine patrol at the Vikingi Tatu area within the forest.
The officers reportedly laid an ambush after receiving information about illegal forest activities in the area.
Police said the officers encountered two men carrying cedar posts suspected to have been harvested from the forest.
Upon being challenged to stop, the two allegedly dropped the posts and attempted to flee.
One of the suspects escaped, while the other allegedly confronted one of the officers while armed with a panga.
Investigators said he attacked a forest ranger struck the hand guard of his rifle with the weapon. In response, the officer discharged his firearm, hitting the suspect on the right side of the head above the ear.
Police officers and detectives from Keringet Police Station visited the scene and documented the incident.
The suspect was found alive but critically injured and was rushed to Olenguruone Sub-County Hospital, where he was admitted for treatment.
During the scene examination, investigators recovered a blood-stained panga believed to have been used in the attack and six cedar posts suspected to have been illegally harvested from the forest. The items were retained as exhibits.
No spent cartridge was recovered at the scene.
Authorities have launched investigations into the shooting as police seek to establish the full circumstances surrounding the confrontation. The second suspect remains at large.
And at least ten houses were destroyed in an early morning fire that swept through a section of Mlango Kubwa in Nairobi’s Mathare area on Sunday, leaving several families counting losses.
According to police, the blaze broke out at around 4:45 a.m. in the Kia Mutisya area after a fire erupted in a corrugated iron business structure before rapidly spreading to neighbouring houses within the densely populated settlement.
Police officers who responded to the incident confirmed that the fire had engulfed several structures by the time emergency teams arrived.
The blaze was eventually contained through a joint effort involving officers, members of the public and two fire engines deployed by the Nairobi City County Government.
Authorities said about ten mabati houses were completely consumed by the fire, with household goods and other property of unknown value destroyed.
Despite the extensive damage, no fatalities or injuries were reported.
Crime Scene Investigations (CSI) officers from Starehe processed and documented the scene as investigations commenced.
The cause of the fire had not been established by the time of filing the report.
Police said inquiries are ongoing to determine the source of the blaze and assess the full extent of the damage.
