The suspects are members of the dreaded Gaza gang

The car in which the seven suspects were travelling in when they were shot dead by police in Rukanga, Kirinyaga County. 

Seven suspected thugs were Tuesday, August 5 shot dead by police at Rukanga along Sagana-Makutano road in Kirinyaga County. The suspects were being trailed from Nairobi before police pounced on them at 1pm.

Flying Squad officers set up a road block at Rukanga and when the suspects realized they had been cornered, they opened fire. In retaliation, the officers killed all the occupants who were in the saloon car.

“We thank God they were detected in broad daylight as they were on a robbery mission,” said Samuel Saurey, OCPD Mwea West Sub-County. The gang is suspected to be behind the killing of two police officers in Githunguri.

According to Cyrus Ombati, Senior Standard Crime Reporter, a pistol with 11 bullets was recovered from the suspects all aged below 25. They are all believed to be members of the banned Gaza group.

Officers involved in the operation said the young men are from Kayole, Nairobi and were headed for a mission in Mwea. Their ring leader is Michael Mwaniki alias Mwanii who was shot by police in August together with another suspect identified as only Willy. Mwaniki was buried last week in Muranga. The duo was killed after being trailed by officers from Nairobi following a botched robbery in Kayole area.

Police recover guns

Police at the scene said the men also had two home made guns and linked them to incidents in Nairobi where police were targeted and either killed or robbed of their guns.

The shooting caused panic on the highway before a crowd milled around the bodies, some which lay in a pile. One of the suspects who tried to escape was killed few meters way from his accomplices.

Officials said Mwanii was the husband to slain female gangster Clea Adi Vybz aka Clair Njoki. She was killed in May 2017 in a police ambush in Kayole.

Dreaded Gaza gang

According to police, Mwanii was a ringleader of banned Gaza group, which has been blamed for killing police in Kayole, Dandora and Utawala and other criminal activities.

Mwanii had been on the run for almost five months. The deaths were celebrated on social media groups “Dandora Crime Free” and “Dandora Love People”.

The social media groups shared pictures of the seven men lying in a pool of blood.

The sites are believed to be managed by police officers who are out to reach many youths in Dandora, Kayole, Huruma, Umoja and other places and who have ventured to crime.

On these sites, an administrator identified as Hessy wa Kayole, Hessy wa Dandora, Hessy wa Huruma, usually warn suspected thugs that their days are numbered.