The High Court in Voi has convicted a police officer over the 2019 fatal shooting of a man at a restaurant in Taveta Town.

In a statement on Tuesday, May 12, the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) confirmed that Corporal Mark David Gitahi Marombe was found guilty of the murder of Esau Juma Mwanguku.

According to the authority, the court also cancelled the officer’s bond following the conviction and ordered that he be detained at Manyani GK Prison pending sentencing.

“Consequently, the Court cancelled the officer’s bond, detaining him at the Manyani GK Prison until his sentencing which is slated for 2nd June, 2026,” the statement read in part.

The court heard that the officer fatally shot Mwanguku at Rockland Restaurant in Taveta Town, where both men had reportedly been drinking before the incident.

IPOA said it independently launched investigations into the killing before recommending murder charges against the officer.

“The matter was investigated Suo Moto by the Authority. Upon completion of investigations, IPOA recommended that the officer is charged with murder,” the statement added.