Police in Nairobi’s Kayole area shot and killed a suspect who they claimed was involved in robbing residents. The incident occurred on Sunday in the Mwengenye area near the Nairobi River, according to police reports.
A police patrol team responded after hearing screams from a robbery victim and spotted two suspects fleeing toward Rhemu Flats. The officers gave chase, ordering the suspects to surrender. The suspects had reportedly just attacked and robbed a female pedestrian.
Nairobi police boss Adamson Bungei stated, “The gang defied the orders, prompting the police to open fire.” One suspect was fatally wounded, while the other escaped into the darkness.
A search of the deceased suspect revealed a toy pistol, a knife tucked in his waist, and two mobile phones, police said. The body, identified as an unknown male adult around 25 years old, was taken to the City Mortuary for a postmortem.
Police have intensified patrols in response to increasing robberies across the city. Bungei noted, “Dozens of suspects have been arrested and prosecuted during the operations, which has led to a reduction in the crime rate.”
In a separate incident in Merti, Isiolo, a 50-year-old man was shot and seriously wounded during a livestock robbery. Gunmen attacked herders in the Dadacha-anan area, opening fire before driving off with 33 cows towards Samburu. The victim, named Mamo, suffered a gunshot wound to his right thigh and was rushed to the hospital in serious condition.
Police responded to the scene, and the region remains under multi-agency operations due to ongoing gun attacks by bandits. The affected areas include Turkana, Meru, Marsabit, West Pokot, Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet, and Samburu.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki highlighted the severe impacts of cattle rustling in Northern Kenya, describing it as an organized criminal enterprise responsible for deaths, poverty, and displacement. “It deprives pastoral communities of their economic mainstay and aggravates the conditions of poverty in the rangelands, fueling communal grievances and revenge attacks,” Kindiki said.
He emphasized the government’s commitment to dismantling the infrastructure supporting cattle rustling by continuing the fight against banditry and its perpetrators. “We are making banditry a painful venture by ensuring the recovery of stolen livestock and rewarding those who facilitate such recoveries,” he added.
