The suspects (from left): Stephen Kamau, Patrick Mwangi, Titus Wainaina and Jeremiah Kinyanjui.A family in Eldoret spent about three hours at the mercy of armed robbers who stormed their home, demanded money and valuables, then calmly prepared and ate supper before leaving with goods worth Sh2.4 million.
A second-year Kabarak University student, Edwin Mwangi, told an Eldoret court how three suspected robbers held him and his mother hostage on the night of November 22, 2025, during a raid at their home in the Njambini area on the outskirts of Eldoret City.
But amid the terror, the suspects did something that left the family stunned.
After breaking into the house and demanding food, one of the robbers rejected an offer of githeri that had already been prepared in the kitchen.
Instead, the men asked what else was available and proceeded to prepare ugali and eggs for their supper.
They then sat down to eat while Mwangi and his mother watched in disbelief.
As they ate, the suspects also engaged the family in a discussion about current politics in the country.
Mwangi said the robbers appeared unusually relaxed during the meal and even assured him and his mother that they did not intend to harm them.
“One of the robbers told my mother to cook supper for them, saying they were feeling hungry, and when she told them to take githeri in the kitchen, they reprimanded her, saying they could not eat such a meal,” Mwangi told senior resident magistrate Daniel Sitati.
“The robbers were so friendly to me and my mother after enjoying their supper, which was prepared by one of them; they even engaged us in debate over the current politics taking place in the country.”
The university student said the ordeal began when he arrived home while driving his father’s vehicle.
He was accosted by the suspects at the gate and ordered to get out of the vehicle.
At gunpoint, he was then ordered to lead the men into his parents’ house.
Inside, his mother, Margaret Charagu, was watching television when the suspects began demanding cash.
Mwangi told the court the men threatened his mother as he lay face down on the sitting-room floor.
“They asked for cash money from my sick mother while threatening her of dire consequences if she refused to heed to their demand as I lay on the floor of the sitting room on my stomach,” he said.
Charagu was forced to surrender her mobile phone and disclose her PIN, the court heard.
One of the suspects allegedly used the phone to transfer Sh8,000 to a number belonging to an accomplice.
Mwangi said the suspects had divided themselves inside the house.
One, armed with an AK-47 rifle, stood guard at the door, while another, carrying a panga, watched over him and his mother in the sitting room.
The third suspect searched the bedrooms for money and other valuables.
The suspects eventually fled with the family’s motor vehicle and assorted agrochemicals valued at Sh2.4 million, according to the charge sheet.
The four suspects — Stephen Kamau, Patrick Mwangi, Titus Wainaina and Jeremiah Kinyanjui — are facing multiple robbery with violence charges in separate courts in Eldoret.
They are charged with robbery with violence.
The charges state that on the night of November 21 and November 22, 2025, at Njambini on the outskirts of Eldoret City in Uasin Gishu county, the suspects, alongside others not before the court, robbed Edward Mwangi of his motor vehicle and assorted agrochemicals valued at Sh2.4 million.
The prosecution alleges the suspects were armed with dangerous weapons, including an AK-47 rifle and a panga.
The four are facing more than eight charges related to capital offences in separate courts.
Their appearances are conducted under tight security. Unlike other prisoners and remandees who are transported to court in prison buses, the four suspects are brought to court in a special van accompanied by security officers.
They are also facing a murder case before the High Court in Eldoret over the killing of a former pharmacist at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital eight months ago.
According to court documents in that case, the suspects, together with others not before the court, are accused of robbing Richard Nyongus Rotich of his mobile phone while armed with an AK-47 rifle.
The prosecution alleges that Rotich was shot dead during the robbery.
The hearing of the robbery case was adjourned to September 25, 2026.
The suspects (from left) Stephen Kamau, Patrick Mwangi, Titus Wainaina and Jeremiah Kinyanjui.
The suspects (from left) Stephen Kamau, Patrick Mwangi, Titus Wainaina and Jeremiah Kinyanjui.
Senior Resident Magistrate Daniel Sitati
