A police officer in Kenya's Eastern Province town of Siakago on Saturday night killed 10 people, including two police officers in a shooting rampage targeting bar patrons.

The officer who was assigned to guard the residence of the local district commissioner went on rampage Saturday midnight when he failed to locate his girlfriend.

"He went looking for his girlfriend in the bars where he shot patrons indiscriminately," said Marcus Ochola, the Eastern Provincial police commander.

"The district commissioner came home at 10:00 p.m., and after one hour, the police officer assigned to his home left saying he wanted to see his girlfriend."

"He went to three bars that were open and shot 10 people when he failed to locate her. He also forced some bars that were closed to open," said Ochola.

"He also shot at his fellow police officers who were responding to the sound of gunfire and commotion in the town. When he exhausted his ammunition, he surrendered at the Siakago police station," added Ochola.

The officer attached to the administration police unit is now in police custody assisting with the investigations. The District Commissioner John Chelimo said the officer in his 30s has not yet said the motive of his killing.

Residents said the usually calm dusty rural hamlet of Siakago, about 150 km northeast of the capital Nairobi, woke up to mourn the dead villagers on Sunday morning. Siakago town is the main shopping center for predominant peasant farmers in the area.

"People here spend Sundays going for church service and relaxing, but now, we have woken up to a shock that has never been witnessed here. I cannot blame the police or the government, I think it was a case of indiscipline or a medical condition," said Simon Kariuki, a farmer who lost a friend in the shooting.

Residents held mass protest early Sunday near the Siakago police station.