A presiding officer (PO) was Tuesday morning killed by a policeman in a vehicle transporting ballot papers to the Kangema constituency tallying centre in Murang’a County.
The presiding officer of Ichiche polling station Waithanje Mwaniki died on the spot in the 3.25 am incident that has left local residents in a state of shock.
It was reported that the deceased Waithanji Mwaniki had just concluded counting votes at Ichichi polling station having signed all the necessary forms and had even transmitted results from his Ichichi polling station before he encountered death.
Kangema DC Fred Muli said the polling official was accidentally shot in the head from behind by the officer who was seated at the back of the van.
Investigations are currently going on while the officer who is suspected to have shot the presiding officer is being held at the Murang’a police station.
However the OCPD has ruled out a tussle between the two leading to the shooting.
Muli said that investigations into the incident have commenced. The body was removed to Murang’a district hospital mortuary.
The deputy presiding officer who was travelling in the same vehicle and went missing during the incident is yet to be found.
At the same time, a senior government officer in the district was attacked and killed by suspected armed criminals Monday night.
The district adult education officer was attacked and hacked to death by unknown assailants on his way home along Kangema-Gathera road.
The DC said that preliminary investigations pointed at normal act of thuggery adding that an investigation into the matter was also in progress.
This was the second death to occur in the area during the Election Day. The first incident occurred at Kiharu polling station after an elderly woman collapsed and died while waiting to cast her vote.
According to eye witnesses, 72 year old Tabitha Wanjiku had not been sick while queuing however; she had trekked for a long distance to get to the polling station. She fainted and died while on a queue at Kaganda primary school polling station.
Source:KBC
