Two arrested after 30 bullets found in bus on Garissa-Thika highway

The recovered 30 rounds of live ammunition along the Garissa-Thika Highway./HANDOUT

Police have arrested two suspects after recovering 30 rounds of live ammunition from a public service vehicle at a security roadblock in Kitui County.

A multi-agency security team manning a roadblock along the Garissa–Thika Highway in the Kanyonyoo area of Lower Yatta Sub-County said officers stopped the bus on Tuesday and conducted a search.

During the inspection, police recovered a backpack that had been left on a passenger seat and found it contained 30 rounds of ammunition. No one owned up to the discovery.

The suspects were arrested and escorted to Kanyonyoo Police Station for processing ahead of possible arraignment.

The vehicle was impounded, while the ammunition was secured as an exhibit. Police said the bus crew ought to know who was carrying the ammunition.

Police claim that the ammunitions were part of those being smuggled from the northern part of the country to Nairobi and elsewhere to commit crimes.

The National Police Service spokesman, Michael Muchiri, said police remain committed to combating the illegal possession and movement of firearms and ammunition and to enhancing public safety through sustained security operations. He said the roadblocks mounted on major roads have enabled police to address various crimes.

“They have stopped the smuggling of humans, firearms and other dangerous items. We continue with operations,” said Muchiri.

The route remains the main source of the illegal weapons and the smuggling of drugs and humans. Meanwhile, police are investigating an incident where a woman was found dead in a lodging in Brooke Trading Centre, on the outskirts of Kericho town.

Residents and business operators in the area said the woman’s body was discovered on Tuesday morning by lodge attendants. They reported that she had sustained stab wounds and was found on a bed in one of the rooms.

Witnesses said three men had checked into the lodge with the woman on Monday night, but what happened thereafter was not immediately clear.

Police arrested one of the men believed to have been among those who checked in, while two others are said to have fled. A manhunt has been launched for the remaining suspects, police said. Two lodge caretakers who reportedly booked the group into the premises were questioned.