NAIVASHA, Kenya — A police corporal has died by suicide and a local business owner is battling for her life following a violent shooting on the night of Wednesday, January 1, 2026.
The incident, which occurred at a local pub in the Kongoni area of Naivasha, Nakuru County, has left the community in shock as investigators piece together the motive behind the tragedy.
According to a report filed at Kongoni Police Station, the alarm was raised by Corporal Bakari Juma, the officer in charge of the Kachuma Police Post. Officers responding to the scene discovered two individuals lying in pools of blood outside the establishment.
Preliminary findings suggest that Corporal Collins Kochei, an officer attached to the Tangi Tano Police Post under Munanda Police Station in Gilgil Sub-county, was the primary aggressor.
Armed with an AK-47 service rifle, Kochei allegedly opened fire on Lucy Wanjiru Njoroge, a 34-year-old woman and the proprietor of the bar.
Ms. Njoroge sustained multiple gunshot wounds, specifically to her right thigh and both breasts. After the assault, Corporal Kochei reportedly turned the weapon on himself. Investigators state he fired a shot through his chin, which exited through his forehead.
Both the officer and the woman were rushed to Nakuru Provincial General Hospital by a Good Samaritan.
Medical personnel pronounced Corporal Kochei dead on arrival. Ms. Njoroge was admitted in serious condition and is currently undergoing intensive treatment.
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The scene was processed by senior officers from Kongoni Police Station and the Sub-county Criminal Investigations Office.
The officer’s body has been moved to the Nakuru Provincial General Hospital mortuary, where a post-mortem examination is expected to be conducted.
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Naivasha have since taken over the case to determine the circumstances that led to the shooting and why the officer, who was stationed in a different sub-county, was present and armed at the location.
