A Baricho Law Court in Kirinyaga has allowed police to detain three suspected cattle thieves for two days to complete their investigations.
The three, John Kariuki, 51, Robery Mwangi, 50, and Joseph Githinji were arrested on Tuesday following theft of two cows from a homestead in Maganjo village near Sagana town.
The cows with an approximated value of Sh150,000 belonged to Purity Waruguru who rallied her neighbors to search for her prized livestock.
After an unsuccessful attempt, she made a report at Sagana Police Station.
The report jolted police officers into action and an operation was immediately conducted according to Kirinyaga West Subcounty police commander Moses Koskei.
Koskei confirmed that intelligence reports led them to Kariuki’s home in Ndindiruku village where items such as hammers, a panga, a weighing machine, a sisal rope and a sharp pointed metal rod among others were recovered in a sack.
Mwangi’s arrest soon followed and two motorcycles recovered with bloodstains at a butchery he is said to operate.
Githinji was later apprehended while trying to flee on a motorcycle with two cows’ skins concealed in a sack.
The three were presented in court but did not take plea.
The prosecution asked for more time to complete investigations.
Senior Principal Magistrate Stephen Nyaga granted the prosecution’s application to detain the three for two more days at Sagana Police Station.
The police commander labelled the three as notorious livestock thieves with footprints all over Kirinyaga County, adding that they steal cows, slaughter them and sell the meat to butcheries.
“The suspects are notorious and have been arrested before with similar charges but always find their way out,” he said, explaining that the suspects are able to make plea bargains that allow them to pay off the complainants before being released.
This, he said, only serves to fuel their illegal trade with the confidence that no serious consequences would befall them as they’re able to make enough money to pay off complainants.
“This time, however, we are serious and we hope to see the case all the way through,” he said.
Incidences of livestock theft have been rampant in Kirinyaga and adjacent counties, with farmers complaining over huge losses that seriously hamper their income.