Chaos at Mosque: KWS Officer Linked to Fatal Attack Arrested

A senior Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) officer is under investigation after a violent incident in Tana River County left one man dead outside a mosque.

Authorities have confirmed that the officer, attached to the Garissa KWS office, is a prime suspect in the killing of Ismael Abdi Osman Bayata in Bangale Sub-County.

The attack, which has since gone viral in video footage, shows Bayata being stabbed while restrained to the ground by members of the public.

Police say the incident began after Bayata returned from medical treatment in Garissa County and exhibited violent behavior at his home.

According to Bangale Sub-County Police Commander Julius Rotich, Bayata first fought with his brother before fleeing the compound with a knife.

“Immediately he left, he met a bodaboda operator along the road and stabbed him, leaving him for dead. Bayata proceeded to a nearby Mosque within Maramtu village where he attacked worshippers,” Rotich said.

Violence at the Mosque

Inside the mosque, the situation escalated as Bayata attacked several worshippers and tore a Quran, prompting a frantic stampede.

“The windows were broken as people ran for their lives after the attacker stormed in,” Rotich said.

Despite the chaos, some worshippers managed to subdue Bayata and restrain him.

“The area chief was called and he alerted our officers of the incident and arrest by members of the public. But before we arrived at the scene, reports reached us that a group had arrived in the compound and lynched the suspect,” Rotich added.

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Video Evidence Identifies KWS Officer

A video that emerged following the attack showed a man, armed with a knife, stabbing the restrained Bayata.

“The man stabbing the suspect while restrained on the ground has been identified as a KWS officer in Garissa. We have summoned him and we shall arrest and charge him with the murder case,” Rotich said.

The police emphasized that the killing was unnecessary, given that Bayata reportedly had a mental illness and had already been subdued.

“The police were to arrest him, take him for a medical assessment to confirm his mental status before he could be charged, not be killed because he had killed someone and attacked people in a mosque,” Rotich noted.

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Arrests and Legal Proceedings

Bangale Sub-County Deputy County Commissioner Elijah Omoyo confirmed that the officer’s arrest was delayed as security agencies assessed potential unrest in Garissa.

“We are dealing with an extremely complicated community. They believe in revenge and we have been waiting to see the outcome of the incident, including causing inter-clan chaos, but luckily, the people involved are from one clan,” Omoyo said.

He added, “We shall now have the man recorded, stabbing, arrested and arraigned at a court of law.”

Authorities say investigations are ongoing, and the KWS officer faces charges related to the killing of Bayata, who had first attacked a bodaboda operator, incidentally, the officer’s son, before the deadly confrontation at the mosque.

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The image shows crime scene murder tape
PHOTO/File