Police in Juja on Tuesday gunned down three people in a botched robbery on Witeithie estate.
Kiambu county police commander Ali Nuno said the three who were riding on a motorcycle, were on a robbery mission and were intercepted by the police who have been trailing.
Nuno said the trio opened fire, firing seven bullets at the officers after they were ordered to surrender.
“They declined to surrender and instead shot at our officers who responded and subdued them. None of our officers was injured in the shoot-out,” he said.
Nuno said two of the felled thugs hail from Dandora, while one is a resident of Witeithie estate.
Police recovered a Ceska pistol, three bullets, seven spent cartridges and two knives from them.
Nuno, who spoke at the scene, said the three—aged between 25 and 30—are part of a gang that has been terrorising residents of Nairobi's Eastlands area, including Dandora, and parts of Kiambu county, including Witeithie and Juja Farm areas.
“They are part of a wider gang that has been terrorising residents in Kiambu and Nairobi. The gang is on our radar and we will leave no stone unturned until we dismantle it,” he said.
The police boss noted that the notorious criminals committed a crime on Sunday where they robbed and shot a woman in Pangani area within Nairobi county before proceeding to Witeithie where they intended to perpetrate their crime.
“We have been trailing them for a while now after being implicated in a series of robberies in Kiambu and Nairobi regions. We have been monitoring their phone conversations and that’s how our officers managed to intercept them today,” Nuno said.
He noted that the trio had planned to commit a robbery in Witeithie on Monday but one of them who was keeping the gun failed to show up.
The police boss put on notice other criminals within the county who are part of the gang warning them that their days are numbered. “I will not allow them (criminals) turn Kiambu into their playfield. Our officers are working round the clock to bring them to book,” he said.
Nuno also urged youths to desist from engaging in criminal activities warning them of dire consequences if found on the wrong side of the law.
“The youth must be very careful and cease from engaging in crimes because crime will send them to an early grave,” he said.
Witeithie residents who spoke to journalists lauded the police for trailing and neutralising the criminals lamenting that crimes have been on a rise within the estate.
“We have suffered for long in the hands of the criminals who have been perpetrating crimes here from shop break-ins, mugging and robberies. We urge the police to keep up with the good work and wipe out all criminal elements from the estate,” said resident Elizabeth Wairimu.
-Edited by Sarah Kanyara