Officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations(DCI) have arrested two key suspects believed to be part of a four-member gang that has been terrorizing motorists and truck drivers along the busy Thika–Nyeri and Thika–Embu highways.
According to a statement by DCI, the operation was conducted by officers from the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau (CRIB), the Operations Assist Team, and DCI Gatanga, after a spate of violent robberies targeting goods transporters in recent weeks.
The gang had reportedly been dressing in jungle fatigues and reflector jackets while posing as police officers and flagging down trucks under the guise of routine checks.
They would then assault the drivers, handcuff them, and lock them in car trunks before stealing their vehicles and cargo.
The lorries would later be found abandoned and empty.
One major incident occurred on October 8, when a driver ferrying 450 bales of Raha Premium maize flour from Jomax Millers Limited to Nairobi was attacked and dumped miles away.
The vehicle was later found abandoned in Njiru, Nairobi, stripped of its cargo.
Days later, the same gang attempted another heist, targeting a different Jomax Millers truck while posing as Kenya Revenue Authority officials—but the alert driver managed to escape.
In yet another case, a truck transporting KSh 5.4 million worth of Colgate products from Nairobi to Embu was hijacked in Ndarugu–Witeithie, with the driver left stranded.
Detectives from Mwea East later traced the stolen goods to a building in Embu, confirming the syndicate’s wider criminal network.
After days of surveillance and forensic analysis, detectives finally struck.
On October 24, they arrested Festus Kandiki Kanyaru in Ruiru, who confessed to being part of the gang and identified his accomplices.
He revealed that they had sold 400 bales of stolen maize flour to a businessman in Eastleigh.
His associate, Bundi Stanley Kaumbiri, alias Bamu, was arrested the next day at his miraa shop in South B.
A follow-up search at a Pipeline residence led to the recovery of toy pistols, military fatigues, handcuffs, and a Maasai whip believed to have been used during the robberies.
Both suspects were arraigned in court, where detectives were granted 14 days to finalize investigations.
In a fresh development, detectives today arrested three more suspects — Khalid Abdirahman Mohammed, Shueb Ahmed Hussein, and Yusuf Nur Abdullahi — in Eastleigh for handling the stolen maize flour.
Two bales of the stolen consignment were recovered from a store in the area.
The suspects remain in custody pending arraignment as the manhunt for two remaining gang members intensifies.
Source: Link.
