IPOA Investigates After Officer Allegedly Shoots Taxi Driver Dead at Modika Roadblock; Suspect at Large as Community Protests Rock Garissa Town.
By Asal Post Correspondent | Garissa
Published: April 22, 2026
Garissa town was thrown into turmoil after a 22-year-old taxi driver was allegedly shot dead at close range by a police officer at the Modika roadblock in the dead of night triggering street protests, a high-level political storm, and mounting questions about police accountability in the region.
The victim, Aden Mohamed, was not out looking for trouble. He had responded to a distress call from two friends Abdiaziz Dere and Abdullahi Mohamed who had been arrested and handcuffed by officers manning the Modika roadblock at around 2am. Aden came to help secure their release. He never made it home.
According to witnesses, an argument broke out between the young taxi driver and one of the officers shortly after his arrival. What followed shocked even the most hardened residents the officer allegedly raised his firearm and shot Aden in the head at close range, killing him instantly.
Town Erupts in Protest
News of the killing spread rapidly through Garissa, and by morning, hundreds of residents had taken to the streets in spontaneous demonstrations. For hours, angry youth engaged police in running battles across town, demanding the immediate arrest of the officer responsible.
The protests later intensified, with demonstrators barricading sections of the Garissa–Nairobi highway, hurling stones at passing vehicles and public service matatus, grinding transport links to a halt and sending travellers scrambling for safety.
“They Are Supposed to Protect, Us Not Kill Us”
At Garissa Police Station, grief and anger walked hand in hand. Ali Hassan, an uncle of the deceased, struggled to find words adequate enough to capture his family’s loss.
“We are very saddened that our police officers in Garissa have turned into shifta and started killing Kenyans. We have always known that the police are here to protect civilians but they are killing us instead,” Hassan said, his voice heavy with grief.
“This is the third killing incident by police officers in the last few months. A very young man, at only 22 years, has had his life cut short without reason. We are telling the government this must stop.”
Close friend Abdirizak Sirat Noor painted a picture of a young man whose final act was one of loyalty rushing out in the middle of the night simply because his friends needed him.
“The government that ought to protect us is killing us. This is not the first case there have been several others in the recent past,” Noor said, before issuing a sobering historical warning.
“Our forefathers were not friends of the police until President Kibaki took office. If these issues are not addressed, we might go back to those times when our relationship with police officers was not good.”
Woman Rep Alleges Cover-Up, Threatens Political Consequences
The political temperature rose sharply when Garissa Woman Representative Udgood Siyad, flanked by several Members of the County Assembly, arrived at the scene and went straight for the jugular.
Siyad demanded that Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen take immediate, visible and punitive action against what she described as rogue officers operating with shocking impunity in Garissa.
She went further — directly alleging a cover-up by senior security officials in the county, pointing to the suspected officer’s swift and suspicious disappearance following the shooting as evidence that someone was protecting him.
“As a mother with a child the same age as the deceased, I will not allow the killing of our young people to continue. We have been told there is Al-Shabaab in this town but the police have now turned into Al-Shabaab themselves,” she declared to loud applause from the crowd.
In a pointed political warning directed at the national government, Siyad added: “We are tired of saying ‘stop killing our people.’ If this government is not serious about protecting our lives, we will stop supporting it and join the opposition.”
Leaders Unite, Call for Calm, But Demand Justice First
As the unrest threatened to spiral into wider inter-community conflict, elders, religious leaders and elected representatives from both Garissa and neighbouring Tana River County convened an emergency meeting at the County Commissioner’s compound to appeal for restraint.
Mohamed Ibrahim, Executive Director of the Garissa Mediation Council, urged residents not to allow the incident to be weaponised along tribal or religious lines.
“We want our people to treat criminals as individuals and not associate them with communities or faiths. That is the only way we can maintain unity and prevent unnecessary conflict,” Ibrahim said.
Madogo MCA Juma Ali reminded residents of the deep social and economic ties binding Garissa and Tana River communities together, warning politicians against exploiting the tragedy for personal or political gain.
“We are neighbours separated only by the River Tana. We depend on each other for daily needs. We must work together to maintain peace and I urge my fellow leaders not to turn this into politics of tribe or religion,” he said.
Police: IPOA Has Taken Over, Suspect “Known and Being Pursued”
North Eastern Deputy Regional Police Commander John Matasi firmly rejected allegations of a cover-up, telling journalists at a press briefing that the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) the body mandated to investigate police killings had already taken charge of the case.
“Our officers were on patrol at the Modika area where the young man was shot. His body is at Garissa Referral Hospital mortuary as we await a post-mortem,” Matasi said.
Garissa County Police Commander Samson Chelugo added that the suspect officer, while still at large, is known to investigators and that his arrest is a matter of time.
“The suspect is known. The police have the capacity to arrest him and we are actively pursuing him. What happened was an isolated incident,” Chelugo stated, appealing to the public to allow the law to take its course.
Chelugo also issued a stern warning to politicians accused of inflaming tensions, stating that security agencies would act firmly against any individual — regardless of status — found inciting violence or spreading hate speech.
“We will not tolerate any form of incitement. Anyone found inciting the public to violence will be arrested and prosecuted,” he warned.
Background: A Community on Edge
This latest killing has landed on deeply bruised ground. Residents note that this is the third police-related killing in Garissa within a matter of months, and many feel that previous incidents were never adequately investigated or prosecuted.
The broader context a region with a historically fraught relationship with security forces, compounded by the ongoing threat of Al-Shabaab and chronic youth unemployment means that incidents like this carry an outsized potential to destabilize an already fragile peace.
Community leaders and conflict resolution experts have long warned that unresolved grievances against security forces risk eroding the hard-won trust built between Garissa residents and law enforcement over the past decade.
What Happens Next
✅ IPOA investigation is officially underway
✅ Post-mortem on Aden Mohamed’s body pending at Garissa Referral Hospital
🔴 Suspect officer remains at large police say arrest is imminent
🔴 Political pressure mounting on CS Murkomen to respond publicly
🔴 Community tensions remain elevated — leaders urging 72-hour calm
Asal Post will continue to monitor and update this story as developments unfold.
