Kenyan police ends siege at Deputy President’s home
Nairobi, Kenya - Elite Kenyan security forces on Sunday killed a man at the home of Deputy President William Ruto, ending a 20 hour siege that left one officer dead and another wounded, security officials said.
Ruto and his family were not at the vast property in the northwest of the country when Saturday’s attack began, less than two weeks before what are expected to be tightly-fought elections.
Ruto condemned the violence at a campaign rally on Sunday. “Those who seek to frustrate our unity, undermine our progress or work towards destroying our nationhood will not succeed,” he said in the town of Murang’a.
There are differing accounts on how many attackers were involved but the incident appeared to have ended on Sunday when Kenya’s police chief Joseph Boinnet said one assailant was shot and killed. “The situation is under control,” he said, noting that the drama started when a machete wielding man attacked and badly injured a police officer guarding Ruto’s home, before storming the compound.
Regional security coordinator Wanyama Musyambo said the assailant then took one officer hostage in a room used as an armoury by police guards. “Being in the armoury, he was at an advantage and was firing various weapons.”
One of the officers and the gunman were killed in the action, Musyambo said.