Police gun down two suspected thugs in Nairobi

By Cyrus Ombati

NAIROBI, KENYA: Two men believed to be street children were on Thursday shot dead in a botched house robbery in Donholm area, Nairobi.

Police said the deceased were part of a gang of street children that had raided a residential home demanding food and cash menacingly at about 5 am.

According to Nairobi County police boss Benson Kibui, the gang started to harass the occupants of the home after overpowering a guard who was on duty.

“An alarm was raised alerting police who rushed there and found the gang still in operation. And after the gang was ordered to surrender and leave they tried to escape with part of stolen property. It was then that police opened fire killing two,” said Kibui.

He added the other gang members managed to escape on foot. Locals have been complaining of the street families menace who usually attack and rob them at night.

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Residents say the City Hall has been unable to contain the menace, which is becoming a threat to them and want authorities to take action to stop it.

Meanwhile, several passengers were Wednesday night robbed of their cash and valuables in a carjacking incident on a matatu in Nairobi’s Hurlingham area.

The bus was headed to Kawangware from the city centre when six of the passengers turned out to be thugs.

Police and witnesses say three of the gang members were armed with pistols and that they took control of the bus along Amboseli Road in Lavington area where they robbed and dumped them.

The passengers and bus crew were robbed more than Sh30,000, mobile phones and other valuables by the thugs who escaped on foot.

Kibui said they are holding the crew over the incident and they will be taken to court because they failed to take measures to curb the attack.

“We have always told the bus managers to ensure they don’t pick passengers at night without screening them. This is their mistake and they have to bear the responsibilities,” said Kibui.

Cases of carjacking on buses have been on the rise in the city with up to five being reported on a weekly basis. Police have been taking measures aimed at curbing them. Part of the measures include ensuring all passengers are screened and avoiding picking up at night.