Two house helps arrested in Nairobi, Tala over theft of Sh2.6m from employers

Detectives arrested two house helps who allegedly stole a total of Sh2.6 million from their employers in separate incidents in Nairobi and Thika.

Also arrested were relatives of one of the suspects after she sent them part of the suspected stolen loot, police said.

In the first incident, detectives on Friday arrested a domestic worker suspected of stealing USD15,000 from her employer, an American national, in an incident reported at Kilimani Police Station.

The complainant had earlier reported that his house help allegedly broke into a drawer in his residence and made away with the cash. 

The report was booked on April 6 prompting investigations by officers in Kilimani.

Acting on leads, police officers on Friday conducted an operation at Raila Estate in Kawangware, where the suspect was traced and apprehended.

During a search at the premises, officers recovered USD1,050 believed to be part of the stolen money. 

Also recovered were several identification documents, including three ID cards.

Authorities are now investigating the origin and ownership of the recovered documents, Kilimani police boss Patricia Yegon said.

Elsewhere, police arrested three suspects in connection with the theft of Sh700,000 from a house in Makongeni, Thika West Subcounty, Kiambu County.

The incident occurred on April 7, 2026 when a complainant told police she found the cash missing from a wardrobe where she had kept.

She had reportedly kept the cash in her wardrobe a day earlier, intending to use it to purchase land.

She told police she left for work, leaving behind her two children under the care of a house help.

Upon returning home in the evening, the woman found the house help missing.

A check in the wardrobe revealed that the money had also disappeared. Efforts to reach the house help by phone were unsuccessful as it had been switched off.

Preliminary investigations led detectives to Tala in Machakos County, where the suspect was believed to have taken refuge at her boyfriend’s residence.

The boyfriend was later traced to Kitengela, where he had reportedly purchased a red TVS motorcycle using part of the stolen cash.

Police arrested the boyfriend and recovered the motorcycle, which has since been detained at Kitengela Police Station.

A further search led to the recovery of Sh52,250 from his jacket and is believed to be part of the stolen cash.

The suspect later led officers to Tala, where the house help was arrested in a lodge.

Police recovered Sh197,000 from her possession, along with assorted new clothes and a box for an Itel A24 Pro mobile phone, though the handset itself was missing.

Further investigations revealed that part of the stolen money had been transferred via mobile money.

The boyfriend is said to have sent Sh44,000 to his sister and Sh24,000 to his mother. The sister was subsequently arrested.

All three suspects are currently in police custody at Thika Police Station as investigations continue.

Police say efforts are ongoing to recover the remaining amount and to establish whether the suspect acted alone or with accomplices.

Police have advised employers to know their employees well.