Man and woman killed as attackers storm supermarket

Two shoppers were shot dead by a gang that raided a supermarket in Makutano town.

The owner of the supermarket and his wife were seriously injured during the Wednesday incident.

The victims, a man and a woman, were waiting in the queue to pay for their purchases when the gang struck.

Area OCPD Joseph Matiku said the victims died on the spot.

Marion Wanja, a witness, said the two attackers arrived on a motorbike at about 7pm.

"I was leaving the supermarket when the attackers arrived. They alighted, drew their guns and ordered everyone in the supermarket to lie down," said Ms Wanja.

She explained that she took to her heels screaming for help. She said she could hear gunshots coming from the supermarket.

Another witness, Julius Nzuki, said the robbers' motorcycle had its registration number concealed.

"The rider sped off soon after dropping off the two attackers," Mr Nzuki said.

Mr Matiku said the two were shot when they defied the robbers' orders to lie down.

He said the proprietors of the supermarket were shot as they tried to stop the robbers from snatching the cash box.

"The injured were taken to a nearby private hospital and are in a stable condition," the officer said.

He added that it had not yet been established the amount of money stolen. Some witnesses said the gunmen escaped with a gunny bag.

"The spent cartridges we recovered from the scene have been taken to Nairobi for forensic examination to establish the kind of guns used," Matiku said.