Police officers in Hola Prison in Tana River County are holding a colleague of their over allegations of killing another prison warder.
The officer allegedly shot the colleague unknowingly, after he was handed a pistol by the deceased to lock it in the armoury.
According to County Police Commander Frederick Ochieng', the suspect pulled the trigger, unaware that the gun had an extra bullet.
Consequently, said the police boss, he shot the deceased, who has been identified as Joseph Katana, who later succumbed to the injury.
"It appears the officer did not check the gun only to realise that it had an extra bullet," said Mr Ochieng', who, however, pointed out that the incident did not emanate from a conflict.
The deceased was rushed to the Malindi Sub County Hospital but was confirmed dead on arrival, while the suspect was disarmed and locked up pending possible arraignment.
This is not the first time uniformed forces are finding themselves in such situations, after another one pitting a National Youth Service (NYS) and police officer happened a year ago.
The incident happened in Bura, when NYS officers went to a police station to rescue one of their colleagues who had been arrested in relation to an earlier attack on a police officer.
The NYS officers resorted to storming the station armed with spades, which resulted in a scuffle that saw one NYS officer shot and killed.