The rampage in the capital Nairobi triggered protests by
angry residents who blocked the road with burning tyres.
Police said the AK-47-rifle-wielding officer first shot his
wife in the neck before firing indiscriminately at neighbours.
“We have lost six people all shot by the police officer
before he committed suicide,” area police chief Francis Wahome said.
Two other people have been admitted to the hospital with
injuries.
Wahome said the motive of the shooting was still unknown,
adding: “We are told that the couple had issues and were quarrelling before.”
Cases of police officers shooting dead their spouses occur
frequently in the East African country, where incidents of extrajudicial
killings are rife.
Under-equipped, badly paid and trained, the police force has
a poor reputation in Kenya, where it is considered the most corrupt
organisation in the country, according to Transparency International.
Last month, another officer opened fire on his colleagues in
central Kenya, fatally shooting one in the head before fleeing.
In March, a paramilitary officer killed one of his superiors
in western Kenya following an altercation over deployment, and then committed
suicide.
- AFP