In a dramatic turn of events, two suspected gang members were fatally shot during a standoff with police in Matungu village, Kakamega County, as authorities intensified efforts to dismantle a ruthless criminal network operating in the region.
The two, believed to be part of an armed gang terrorizing Kakamega and neighbouring counties, were killed after engaging police in a gunfight at their rented hideout.
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), who had been tracking the gang, recovered an AK-47 rifle loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition and a Bajaj motorcycle from the scene.
Acting on intelligence, a team from DCI’s Operation Action Team and Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau cordoned off the suspects’ hideout.
“Having obtained intelligence leads to the suspect’s hideout at a rented house in Matungu village, the operators comprising DCI’s Operation Action Team and Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau cordoned the rental unit, ordering the suspects to step out and surrender,” DCI said in a statement on Thursday night December 5, 2024.
Police ordered the duo to surrender peacefully, but the suspects chose confrontation over compliance.
According to a police report, the men initiated gunfire from inside the house, prompting officers to return fire. Within moments, the standoff ended with both suspects neutralized.
The operation marks a significant breakthrough in the fight against crime in the region.
Authorities suspect the motorcycle recovered at the scene belonged to a police officer who was brutally attacked by a machete-wielding gang in Butere Township on November 12, 2024.
The officer remains hospitalized in a coma at a Kakamega medical facility.
The recovered firearm is currently undergoing ballistic analysis, while fingerprints will be cross-checked against criminal databases to establish the identities of the two and potential connections to other crimes.
Meanwhile, the bodies of the two suspects have been transported to Bungoma County Referral Hospital for postmortem examinations and further identification.
The operation comes amid heightened efforts by law enforcement agencies across Kenya to combat illegal firearms and gang-related violence.
Police have vowed to ramp up intelligence-led operations to dismantle criminal networks and restore public safety.
In a statement posted on Thursday, December 5, 2024, Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja outlined security preparedness for the festive season.
Kanja noted that more specialized units in the police force will help intensify security surveillance in major towns’ borders, places of worship, shopping malls, and critical infrastructural areas.
“Kenyans should expect to see more police presence and visibility, as we have deployed more specialized units including Formed Police Units and undercover Officers alongside the Regular Police, to intensify patrols and heighten both ground and aerial surveillance in the major towns, borders, places of worship, shopping malls and critical infrastructural areas,” he said.
Kanja further directed all police officers on leave to resume duty with immediate effect to support heightened security activities during the festive season.
