Detectives 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.
The arrests follow a coordinated operation by detectives drawn from the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau, the Operations Assist Team, and DCI Gatanga after a series of violent robberies targeting goods’ transporters.
The operation was launched in response to two similar robbery cases reported at Kutus and Wanguru Police Stations, where drivers were ambushed by men posing as police officers.
The gang, often dressed in jungle fatigues and reflector jackets, flagged down lorries under the guise of routine checks before assaulting drivers, handcuffing them, and locking them in car trunks.
The stolen vehicles and goods would then be driven away and empty lorries later abandoned.
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 to rob another Jomax Millers truck, this time posing as Kenya Revenue Authority officials.
The vigilant driver, aware of the earlier attack, managed to escape.
In another related case, a truck driver transporting KSh 5.4 million worth of Colgate products from Nairobi to Embu was similarly attacked and left stranded in Ndarugu- Witeithie.
Detectives from Mwea East later traced the stolen goods to a building in Embu, confirming the syndicate’s wider network.
After days of forensic analysis and surveillance, the suspects’ luck ran out.
On October 24, a sting operation led to the arrest of Festus Kandiki Kanyaru in Ruiru.
He confessed to being part of the gang and identified his three accomplices, revealing that they sold 400 bales of 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 house in Pipeline recovered items believed to be used in the crimes — including toy pistols, military fatigues, handcuffs, and a Maasai whip. Both suspects were arraigned where detectives were granted 14 days to finalize investigations.
In a new development today, three more individuals, Khalid Abdirahman Mohammed, Shueb Ahmed Hussein, and Yusuf Nur Abdullahi were arrested in Eastleigh for handling the stolen maize flour.
Detectives recovered two bales of the consignment from a store in the area.
The suspects are in custody awaiting arraignment.
Detectives have intensified the search for two more gang members – it is just a matter of time before they are brought to justice.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations is urging transporters and drivers to remain vigilant and to immediately report any suspicious individuals posing as law enforcement officers along major highways.
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