A major security operation against armed militia in Tana River has been overshadowed by the death of Bangale Police Station OCS Chief Inspector Sylvester Wambua, whose body was found shortly after officers engaged suspects in a prolonged gun battle.
Police said Wambua was among members of a multi-agency security team that had been deployed to Biyagadud on Thursday following reports of militia activity linked to recent killings in the area.
The operation brought together officers from the Kenya Police Service, the Administration Police Service, the Rapid Deployment Unit and the General Service Unit under the command of sub-county police commander Julius Rotich.
According to investigators, the team tracked a group of armed suspects towards the Lebile area where they eventually confronted them. The encounter led to an exchange of gunfire that police said lasted for about 40 minutes.
When the shooting stopped and officers regrouped, Wambua could not be accounted for.
A search was immediately mounted across the area and officers later found the senior officer lying face down roughly 100 metres from the main road. His G3 rifle was recovered next to his body.
Police officers who reached the scene reported that there were no visible injuries on the body. However, Wambua was unconscious and showed no signs of life.
He was taken to Medinah Hospital, where doctors confirmed that he had died.
The body was moved to the hospital mortuary, where it is being preserved as investigators await a postmortem examination that is expected to establish what caused the officer's death.
Authorities said inquiries into the incident are ongoing, with detectives expected to review reports from officers who participated in the operation alongside findings from the postmortem.
The incident comes as security agencies continue efforts to restore order in parts of Tana River that have recently witnessed deadly violence linked to inter-clan disputes.
At least seven people have been killed in the county within a week, raising fears of further bloodshed.
Among those killed were five people who were reportedly rounded up by armed attackers and shot at close range before the assailants fled.
Security officials said the latest operation was part of efforts to track down those responsible and prevent retaliatory attacks that could worsen the situation.
The area remained tense on Thursday as security teams maintained their presence and continued with the operation.
In a separate incident, police are investigating the discovery of a decomposed body near a fishing vessel that disappeared several days ago with four crew members on board.
The body and the abandoned boat were spotted by fishermen along Shekiko Beach in Ozi, Kipini Division, on Thursday morning.
Police officers and detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations visited the scene and found the vessel, identified as Benazir, along the Indian Ocean shoreline.
During the examination of the scene, investigators found a decomposed body floating next to the boat. Police noted that the deceased's left arm had been tied with a yellow manila rope.
Further investigations established that the vessel had been reported missing at Malindi Police Station after failing to return from a fishing trip on Sunday.
The boat had left with four fishermen on board.
The deceased was later identified as 45-year-old fisherman Deche Chipande. His brother, Hakika Katore, identified the body through Christian cross tattoos on the chest and left arm.
Crime scene personnel documented the area before the body was transferred to Malindi Sub-County Hospital mortuary for preservation and a postmortem examination.
Police have not established what happened to the vessel or the circumstances that led to Chipande's death.
The search for the remaining crew members is still ongoing, with investigators working to determine their whereabouts and what may have happened after the boat disappeared.0