Nairobi — Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet has dispatched the Internal Affairs Unit to Kisii, to investigate Wednesday night's chaos during which three people died.

According to Boinnet, the team will seek to establish circumstances under which each of the three died during a violent confrontation between police and the public at Kenyenya.

"I have ordered the Internal Affairs Unit to launch immediate investigations into the matter with a view to establishing culpability and having anyone responsible for the mayhem charged in court," Boinnet said in a statement.

Local police said the riots started when locals went to the police station carrying a body of a matatu driver they claimed was assaulted by traffic police officer before he died in hospital.

In the ensuing chaos, a police officer was lynched and a boda boda rider shot dead, while several other people are nursing injuries.

According to witnesses the matatu driver was hit by a gun butt when he declined to stop at a road block, prompting residents to lynch the officer.