Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen answers questions in the Senate on March 5, 2025. /MINAThe family of Isaack Abdulla Jarso, a resident of Kone village in Tana River County, will have to exercise patience as they await justice following his fatal shooting allegedly by Kenya Wildlife Service rangers.
Jarso, 42, died on December 29, 2024, after he was allegedly fatally shot in the upper right thigh during a confrontation with KWS rangers who were on a mission to remove cattle and herders who had reportedly encroached Tsavo East National Park.
"When the rangers attempted to arrest the deceased, an altercation ensued, escalating into a physical confrontation pitting him and his friends against the rangers. The scuffles resulted in the fatal shooting," Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen told the Senate on Wednesday.
Murkomen was responding to a question by Tana River Senator Danson Mungatana on why the rangers suspected to have been involved in the alleged murder were yet to be arrested yet they are well known.
The CS said 23 KWS officers are under investigation regarding the incident and all their guns and four spent cartridges found at the scene of the shooting were taken for forensic examination.
Murkomen said an autopsy on Jarso's body conducted at the Malindi Subcounty Hospital Mortuary confirmed the cause of death was due to gunshot-inflicted injuries.
He said key witnesses, including the deceased's wife, two friends who were with him at the time of the incident, and two brothers who arrived after being alerted about the shooting have recorded statements.
The CS said DCI detectives also recorded statements from the KWS rangers involved in the operation.
"The ballistic expert report is not yet finalised. Once investigations are concluded, action will be taken against the KWS officer(s) found culpable in the fatal shooting," Murkomen said.
The CS said the inquiry file was forwarded to the Directorate of Public Prosecution on January 15 and the DPP in a letter dated February 14 directed that several additional matters be established through further investigations, including the firearms ballistic report.
"Compensation for the family of the late Issack Abdulla Jarso will be subjected to due process depending on the outcome of the investigation," Murkomen said.
