Suspected thug shot dead by police in Kayole

Police shot and killed a suspect who they claimed was robbing residents in Nairobi’s Kayole area.

The shooting happened Sunday in the Mwengenye area along the Nairobi river, police said.

A team of police officers on patrol said they heard screams from a victim of robbery and responded there.

They then saw two suspects running towards Rhemu Flats and gave chase while demanding their surrender.

This was after they had attacked and robbed a female pedestrian, police said.

Nairobi police boss Adamson Bungei said the gang defied the orders prompting the police to open fire.

He said one of the suspects was fatally wounded while the other disappeared into the darkness.

A search on the deceased body led to the recovery of a toy pistol, a knife tacked on the waist, and two mobile phones, police said.

The body of an unknown male adult aged around 25 years was taken to the City mortuary awaiting postmortem.

Police say they have enhanced patrols to address cases of robberies that are being reported in the city.

Bungei said that dozens of suspects have been arrested and prosecuted during the operations, which has reduced the rate.

Meanwhile, a 50-year-old man was shot and seriously wounded in the robbery of livestock in Merti, Isiolo.

Gunmen raided the Dadacha-anan area and opened fire at herders before driving off with 33 cows towards Samburu direction.

During the attack, a herder namely Mamo aged 50 suffered a gunshot injury on his right thigh.

He was rushed to hospital in serious condition as police responded to the scene.

The area is among those under multi-agency operations over persistent gun attacks by bandits.

The other areas include Turkana, Meru, Marsabit, West Pokot, Baringo, Elgeyo Marakwet and Samburu.

The attacks have negatively impacted development at large.

The government has rolled out various projects to help in growing the area.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki said cattle rustling in Northern Kenya has over the years become an organized criminal enterprise responsible for deaths, poverty and displacement.

“Its impacts are severe. It deprives pastoral communities of their economic mainstay and aggravates the conditions of poverty in the rangelands, fuelling communal grievances and revenge attacks,” he said.

To dismantle the infrastructure of cattle rustlers and facilitators, he said the government is sustaining the war on banditry and its perpetrators.

This, he said, is achieved by making banditry a painful venture, ensuring recovery of stolen livestock and rewarding facilitators of recoveries.