Policeman in love triangle shooting case seeks release from custody
Erick Kirui, a police officer attached to Tembelio Police Station in Uasin Gishu County, who allegedly shot dead a woman and a reveler at the pub, when he appeared before the Eldoret Law Courts on June 30, 2025.
What you need to know:
- The prosecution said the firearm used in the shooting had not yet been taken for ballistic examination at DCI headquarters.
- Lawyers of the accused objected to the application terming it a scheme to punish their client under the guise of investigations.
A police officer suspected of fatally shooting his lover and a man he allegedly found her with has challenged an application by detectives to detain him for 14 days pending investigations.
Mr Erick Kirui, who is attached to Tembelio Police Station in Uasin Gishu County, is alleged to have shot and killed Ms Caroline Malakwen and Mr Ignatius Kipchumba, alias Mwala, last week in a suspected love triangle.
He was arraigned Monday before Eldoret Senior Principal Magistrate Mogire Onkoba on a miscellaneous application.
Members of the public peep inside Kokwet Pub at Jua-Kali Trading Centre, Uasin Gishu County where a policeman shot two people on June 26, 2025.
Investigating officer Micah Cheruiyot told the court that the suspect killed the victims in the Jua Kali area and was arrested on June 26 after the incident was reported at Jua Kali Police Station under OB No. 39/26/06/2025.
While presenting an application to detain the suspect, Mr Cheruiyot told the court the shooting occurred at Kokwet Pub which is reportedly owned by the deceased woman.
He added that post-mortem examinations were yet to be conducted and that police had not yet recorded statements from key witnesses or the accused.
The prosecution also stated that the firearm used in the shooting had not yet been taken for ballistic examination at DCI headquarters.
The investigating officer argued that the suspect posed a flight risk due to the serious nature of the offense. He also said the suspect's life could be in danger if released on bond.
Lawyers representing the suspect objected to the application terming it a scheme to punish their client under the guise of ongoing investigations.
Members of the public peep inside Kokwet Pub at Jua-Kali Trading Centre, Uasin Gishu County where a policeman shot two people on June 26, 2025.
“The prosecution wants to hide behind investigations to detain my client. The reasons given by the investigating officer do not meet the legal threshold for holding him for 14 days,” said Mr Steven Ombego, the suspect’s lawyer.
Mr Ombego also dismissed claims that his client was a flight risk insisting that the house where the shooting occurred belonged to the suspect.
The magistrate directed that the suspect be held at Eldoret Central Police Station until July 2, when the court will make a ruling on the application.