Embu: AP officer who shot dead 10 people jailed for 20 years

An Administration Police (AP) officer who shot and killed 10 people at Siakago town in Mbeere North, Embu County in 2010 has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.

Constable Peter Karanja was sent to jail by Embu High Court judge Florence Muchemi after 10 years of the murder trial that has seen 20 witnesses testify against him.

46-year-old Karanja was charged that on November 6, 2010 at Siakago he murdered Anthony Mwaniki, Frida Ng’endo, Kenwin Muthomi, Agostino Kinyua and George Ng’ang’a.

Other counts relate to the murder of Domisiano Muchira, Ephantus Munyi, Rachel Muthoni and AP officers Wilfred Gitonga and Fredrick Okwako, who were based at the Mbeere North DC’s office.

On the fateful day, Peter Karanja is reported to have been on night duty at the then District Commissioner’s residence when he decided to go on a search for his alleged estranged girlfriend and shot the 10 dead at different bars in Siakago.

He was sentenced to 20 years in jail for each of the 10 counts he was facing, however, the jail-terms will run concurrently.

The court was told that at around 11:30pm on the fateful day, the accused excused himself to answer a call of nature but instead walked for a kilometre to the shopping centre where he stormed several bars demanding to know his girlfriend’s whereabouts.

He embarked on a shooting spree, gunning down anyone he came across at the bars he stormed before he run out of bullets and surrendered to officers who had started hunting him down.

The accused has 14 days to appeal the sentence.