Thika, Kenya – Detectives have apprehended six men in connection with the fatal shooting of a police constable in Thika last month, bringing a major breakthrough in the high-profile case. Constable Benard Koome Ithai, 32, was shot dead on June 18 during a late-night altercation with a motorcycle taxi (boda boda) rider whose bike lacked registration plates. Officials say the suspects – identified as Joseph Ngotho Karanja, Benjamin Kambo Mwangi, Athanase Ndacaisaba, Kelvin Mbilika Ollingo, Samuel Omurambi, and Philip Muiruri Muchiri – were tracked to hideouts in the Kahawa West and Kiamumbi areas of Nairobi and arrested on July 21.

During the raids, officers recovered a getaway vehicle believed to have been used by the shooters, and a loaded ammunition magazine was found at the crime scene in June. Investigators suspect the group planned the attack after the constable tried to impound an unlicensed motorbike. According to witnesses, Koome had removed the bike’s ignition key when an assailant suddenly shot him at close range in the throat, before fleeing on foot and then hijacking another motorcycle to escape.

A Thika court granted police 21 days to hold the six suspects as the investigation continues. They are being interrogated for possible links to other crimes and to determine the motive, which authorities believe may involve a crackdown on illegal boda boda operators. The suspects could face charges ranging from murder to illegal possession of firearms. The killing of Constable Koome had sparked outrage among the law enforcement community, and authorities vowed that those responsible would face the full force of the law. With the arrests, attention now turns to assembling evidence for a strong prosecution when the case returns to court on August 11.