CCTV Footage Shows Suspect Fleeing With Police Rifle During Fuel Protests in Wote

Investigators in Makueni County are tracking down suspects involved in a dramatic sequence of events during anti-fuel price protests in Wote on Monday, May 18, which left a police officer disarmed and party offices in flames.

Police reported they have recovered CCTV footage that shows the precise moment demonstrators fled with a firearm stolen from a riot control officer deployed to manage the protests. Preliminary findings indicate that a mob attacked and injured the officer before disarming him, in what authorities are treating as a serious criminal act committed under the cover of civil unrest.

The footage, now central to the ongoing investigation, captures the immediate aftermath of the disarming. A primary suspect, identified by investigators as wearing a yellow T-shirt, brown trousers, a beanie, and a face mask, sprints down the street with the stolen police rifle in hand. The images have become a key tool in the manhunt now underway.

A second individual appears in the footage as well. Dressed in blue jeans and an Arsenal football jersey, he follows closely behind the armed suspect and appears to attempt to get a closer look at the weapon as the group scatters.

The video also reveals the broader crowd’s reaction in those chaotic seconds. Some protesters cheered and shouted directions to the fleeing suspects, with police noting that the crowd appeared to actively encourage the escape.

Manhunt Launched as Police Appeal for Public Help

Makueni County police have launched a full manhunt for both suspects and are working urgently to recover the stolen firearm before it can be used or disappear into circulation.

Authorities have called on members of the public to come forward with any information that could help locate the individuals or the weapon, stressing that anyone found to be harboring suspects or withholding information risks facing criminal liability.

UDA Offices Set Ablaze as Tensions Boil Over

The stolen rifle was not the only flashpoint in Wote that day. Demonstrators also set fire to offices belonging to the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) in the town, in an act of destruction that drew swift condemnation from Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen.

Murkomen described the arson as unacceptable and alleged that a political leader had mobilized individuals specifically to carry out the attack. He confirmed that officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) had already opened an inquiry into the matter.

The violence in Wote unfolded against a wider backdrop of fuel-price demonstrations that swept across Kenya on the same day. Authorities reported that four protesters died during the unrest nationwide, while hundreds more faced arrest in connection with the disturbances.

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