Thugs attack Judge probing Tana clashes

By CYRUS OMBATI

NAIROBI, KENYA: A High Court Judge was on Wednesday night carjacked and kidnapped in a robbery incident in her Karen home, Nairobi.

Lady Justice Grace Nzioka was driving into her compound at about 10 pm when she was confronted by five heavily armed men.

The Judge, who chairs a commission investigating the Tana River clashes that have claimed more than 160 lives and displaced thousands of people, told police that she was alone in her official car when gunmen who seemed to have been waiting struck.

Taking her hostage, they forced her into her house and ransacked it. The attackers confiscated several documents, a laptop, television set and other electronics.

The Judge’s husband, who is a businessman, drove in during the robbery unaware of the attack. The gang also took him hostage for hours as they demanded cash and other unclear “information”.

Police say the gang later abducted the two and drove with them out of their compound to Dagoretti area where they withdrew more than Sh40,000 from their ATM accounts.

They then took them to Kangemi area where they abandoned the two in the darkness and directed them to where they would leave the cars.

The Judge and her husband later drove back to their residence after they alerted police.

Police, who are still investigating the attack, have questioned why Nzioka’s personal body guard and a police officer stationed at the Judge’s home were unarmed at the time of the incident.

Detectives who visited the scene say their preliminary analysis shows that the gang was interested in the Judge’s laptop.

“We believe the other items they stole were just a cover up and their interest was in the laptop which they took. We are investigating,” said a senior police officer.

Nairobi Area head of police operations Wilfred Mbithi says no arrest or recovery has been made so far.

Judge Nzioka chairs a commission that is investigating Tana River clashes that have so far claimed 160 lives.

She was scheduled to officially release the report on the clashes on Friday after hearing evidence from more than 130 witnesses.

The night attack is believed to be linked to the report that the commission was compiling.

The incident comes a week after lands permanent secretary Ms Dorothy Angote and her husband were attacked in similar incident in their Lavington estate, Nairobi.

Their car is yet to be recovered after they were carjacked and robbed.

The couple was attacked last Wednesday night and robbed before they were dumped in a coffee plantation in Kikuyu.

According to police, Angote and her husband were driving to their home when they were attacked by three gunmen who had posed as her security guards.

Apparently the thugs had earlier attacked the security guards at the compound, stripped them of their uniforms and tied them in a corner. The thugs later wore the guards’ uniforms and positioned themselves in the compound.

When the couple arrived at about 10pm, the thugs ushered them in before holding them at gunpoint. According to reports, the gang was armed with AK47 rifles.

Angote and her husband were then driven around the city before they were abandoned in a coffee plantation past midnight. They were later rescued by police after villagers found them tied to a tree in the coffee plantation.

Police who saw them said they were unhurt. On Wednesday, police said they were yet to make an arrest or recovery of the car.

Detectives handling the case said they have a clue on who the gunmen were but they are yet to know the motive and were trailing them.

Police said the thugs also stole the couple’s X-Trail car, jewelry, cash, an iPad and other personal valuables.