Officer kills three hijackers in night bus

 By Cyrus Ombati

A brave officer thwarted a carjacking attempt of a bus and killed three suspected carjackers on the Nairobi-Naivasha highway.

The officer who was off duty was in the bus that was headed for Nairobi on Tuesday morning, when three robbers struck at Kimende area and attempted to commandeer it into the Kinale Forest.

Police and witnesses said the gang, which had earlier posed as passengers from Western Province, had said the bus was under their control.

The corporal attached to the Railway Police Unit in Nairobi was seated at the rear side of the bus.

He then shot up as one of the thugs was busy struggling to get Sh15,000 and a mobile phone from the first and only passenger who was robbed.

A witness said the officer took his gun and gunned down one of the suspects in the bus at close range.

He pursued the others outside the bus and felled them.

On searching the bodies, the officer and his colleagues, who arrived there minutes later, found knives and the Sh15,000 that had been robbed from the passenger.

Lari OCPD J Opiyo said no one was injured in the 3am incident.

The passengers later proceeded with their journey.

"Let these gangs know the buses are nowadays inspected and escorted by armed officers. We are increasing patrols on the highway because the festive season is nearing," said Mr Opiyo.

In Nairobi, police killed four suspected thugs in separate robbery attempts and recovered cash, a gun and mobile phones.

Two thugs were killed in Satellite, where they were allegedly planning to rob a supermarket on Monday night.

Police said they recovered a pistol that had four bullets from the two men, while two accomplices escaped.

Earlier, at the Globe Cinema Roundabout, police gunned down a suspected thief, who had snatched a mobile phone from a motorist.

The robber was in the company of three others and had been robbing motorists at a traffic jam when police on patrol spotted them.

Central OCPD Eric Mugambi said they recovered four mobile phones from the man.

He said they were hunting down his accomplices.

And 104 more men suspected to be members of the outlawed Mungiki sect were on Monday night arrested in the ongoing police operations in the city.

The suspects were arrested in Dandora, Githurai, Kiambiu, Lungalunga, Ngumo, Kiserian and Kabete and were expected in court on Tuesday.

Police operations on the sect activities have in the past week intensified.

More than 500 suspected sect members have been taken to court.