An officer has been arrested for the shooting of a 22-year-old college student in Kitale, Trans Nzoia County, as the shooting is being investigated.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) confirmed the arrest, indicating that the officer is alleged to have shot Dalphine Mwangi, a student at Kitale National Polytechnic, on the morning of October 21, 2025.
IPOA reported that the National Police Service notified it of the shooting a day later, and the watchdog body promptly launched an independent inquiry.
Mwangi, having sustained a headshot, was rushed to Kijana Wamalwa Hospital and referred to another hospital in Eldoret, where he succumbed to his injuries three days later on October 24.
Following preliminary inquiries, IPOA investigators arrested the officer attached to Kitale Police Station and took him to court. He was held at Kiminini Police Station for ten days to allow detectives to finalize investigations.
IPOA Chairperson Ahmed Issack Hassan said the authority has made milestones in the case, including interviewing witnesses and colleagues of the officers as well as collecting documentary and forensic evidence.
The detectives have also visited the scene of the incident to identify samples that can be used to reconstruct the circumstances leading to the death of Mwangi.
“The Authority is reassuring the public that the investigations will be completed quickly and recommendations upon conclusion of the findings,” IPOA said.
The shooting, according to initial reports, took place at dawn at Norec Shopping Centre, where Mwangi and his friends were playing a game of pool.
Witnesses told the police that an argument between the student and a man who later turned out to be a police officer led to the altercation.
The suspect reportedly pulled out his gun and shot Mwangi at close range, then escaped on a motorcycle. Two spent 9mm cartridges and a bullet head were found by responding officers near the pool table shop.
The murder has reawakened public anxiety about the conduct of police and their use of force, as the family of Mwangi and his fellow students still demand justice.
