Police shoot dead two men from funeral attended by Uhuru

President Uhuru Kenyatta at Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi on May 19, 2017. PHOTO | SAMUEL MIRING'U | PSCU

What you need to know:

  • The men had parked their car at one of the parking areas and started breaking into the other vehicles before being noticed.
  • Karen Officer Commanding Police Division Cunningham Suiyanka said police who were informed about the incident went to the parking lot and found them and on noticing they had been cornered, the two tried to escape.

Police on Friday shot dead two armed men who had attempted to rob mourners at a funeral attended by President Uhuru Kenyatta in Karen, Nairobi.

The two had parked their car at a parking and started breaking into the other vehicles before being noticed.

Karen Officer Commanding Police Division Cunningham Suiyanka said police who were informed about the incident went to the parking and found them and on noticing they had been cornered, the men tried to escape.

“They escaped with their car as police followed them. They then entered a road in the estate that led them to a dead end," Mr Suiyanka said.

The OCPD said: “The suspects then got out of their cars and started shooting at the police officers and that is when we realised that they were dangerous. Police engaged them in a gunfight and they were both fatally injured”.

Police recovered a homemade gun and several rounds of ammunition from the men, whom they are yet to identify.

Mr Suiyanka said Mr Kenyatta was not at risk and the two were not targeting the president.

“The parking area was very far from where the president was. The security was also very tight,” the OCPD said.

The vehicle the men had been using was towed to Karen Police Station.

The funeral was of the Very Reverend John Gatu of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa.