MP's bodyguard arrested after losing loaded pistol at Oscar Sudi's Timba XO Club

Police in Eldoret have launched investigations after a firearm belonging to an officer attached to Moiben MP Phylis Bartoo went missing under unclear circumstances.

The officer, identified as Corporal Silas Kiptoo, reportedly lost the government-issued pistol and 15 rounds of ammunition on Sunday night while drinking with friends at Timba XO Club in Sukunanga, about one kilometre from Naiberi Police Station.

According to Uasin Gishu County Police Commander Benjamin Mwanthi, the officer realised the weapon had been stolen at around 10pm and later reported the matter to his seniors the same night.

“We are holding the officer in custody to establish why he was in possession of the firearm at that odd hour and under whose authorisation,” Mwanthi told journalists.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the officer was in the company of two friends, identified as Smirth and Arap Ngetich, when the gun went missing. The group is said to have been drinking before Kiptoo noticed the pistol was no longer in his possession.

Mwanthi appealed to the public to assist in tracing the missing weapon, which he identified as a Beretta pistol, serial number A16361, loaded with 15 rounds of ammunition.

“As we interrogate the officer, I humbly appeal to residents to report to the police if they come across the firearm. Our teams are already on the ground searching for it,” Mwanthi said.

The police boss further confirmed that the officer will be arraigned in court once investigations are concluded.

Cases of police officers losing firearms have raised concern in recent months, with security experts warning that such lapses expose the public to grave danger if the weapons fall into criminal hands.

The incident has sparked debate among residents in Eldoret, some questioning why the officer carried the firearm to a social setting, while others demanded accountability from his seniors.

Meanwhile, police have intensified patrols in the area as the search for the missing pistol continues.