Police in Juja gun down 5 suspected criminals

Police in Juja on Tuesday night gunned down five suspected gangsters in a foiled robbery attack at a petrol station along the Thika Superhighway.

According Juja DCIO Mr. Ali Samatar, the six suspects drove into Lexo Petrol Station in a Touareg Volkswagen vehicle at around 8:30pm and immediately brandished pistols and an AK-47 rifle.

Mr. Samatar said workers at the petrol station, however, raised an alarm attracting the attention of police officers who were on patrol.

"Police laid an ambush and challenged the criminals but they started firing at the police officers before being overpowered and gunned down. Five of them were killed," he said.

One of the thugs who was armed with an AK-47 firearm managed to escape. The police recovered three pistols from the felled gangsters.

 The shooting attracted a huge crowd as residents angled to get a glimpse of the suspected criminals. This resulted in to a heavy traffic snarl-up along the busy highway.

The killing of the suspected criminals comes at a time when Juja has been experiencing heightened insecurity.

Residents and students at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture, Science and Technology (JKUAT) have protested over increased insecurity.

In February, a First-year student at JKUAT was stabbed to death while going home in the evening.

The student was walking with a friend near Segal Hotel at 8pm when they were confronted by thugs who demanded their mobile phones. 

Tabitha Muthoni [Courtesy]

She is said to have put up a resistance while her friend complied. A confrontation ensued and Tabitha was stabbed on the neck before the thugs fled.

She was rushed to Jkuat hospital where she succumbed to her wounds.

Early this month, another student was attacked by two people as he was walking with his girlfriend.

His girlfriend's screams attracted members of the public who came to their rescue. One of the two attackers managed to escape, the other was lynched.