Three suspected thugs shot dead in Dandora, Nairobi as police intensify operations ahead of New Year

NAIROBI: Five people including three suspected thugs were killed in two separate robbery incidents in Nairobi and Kiambu.

Police say they recovered homemade guns from the suspects.

Two of the victims were killed in a robbery on a bar in Gitaru area, Kikuyu, Kiambu County.

Police say the deceased include the owner of the bar. The incident happened when four gunmen stormed the bar and demanded cash and mobile phones at about 1 am.

The owner identified one of the gunmen and called him by name prompting a shooting that saw him killed on the spot, said Kiambu County commander James Mugera.

The second reveller is said to have resisted being robbed prompting the gang to shoot him. Police say they escaped within unknown amount of money and valuables.

A hunt on them has so far been launched. A week ago, another gang killed a woman in a shooting in the same area and residents are demanding police action to tame the attacks.

In Dandora, police say they shot dead three suspected thugs in a botched robbery on a residential house. The suspects are said to have been in a group of five and were trying to break into a house when an alarm was raised. Police responded to the scene by killing three while two others managed to escape on foot.

Meanwhile, Police are looking for a gang that carjacked a matatu and abandoned it at a roadblock near Kariobangi area, Nairobi.

The matatu driver and his conductor also escaped with the gang after robbing the passengers who were on board.

Police say the matatu was headed for Ruaka from Ruiru Sunday night when some of the passengers who the crew had picked on the way turned out to be thugs.

They commandeered it toward Kariobangi where they met a roadblock and jumped out with the crew as the passengers shouted for police attention, Nairobi police boss Japheth Koome said.

The matatu was towed to the nearby police station and a hunt on the gunmen goes on. Cases of carjacking of matatus had been on the rise ahead of Christmas season.

Police want crews to take measures to tame such attacks.