Truck driver destined to Uganda singlehandedly thwarts Naivasha highway robbery

NAIVASHA: A driver ferrying electronic goods worth millions of shillings thwarted a robbery attempt by a group highway robbers along the Naivasha-Mai Mahiu road.

During the incident near Chechinia trading center, the driver was left nursing injuries on the head and hands after the thugs slashed him using a sharp object.

The driver who was ferrying the goods to a neighboring country had been blocked by a white salon car along the busy road on Sunday night.

A witness Adam Mwaura said that two of the thugs who were dressed in jungle-gear moved in to take control of the lorry that was heading to Uganda from Mombasa.

Mwaura who was involved in rescuing the driver added that the thugs who were armed with crude weapons ordered the driver to move out but he declined.

"The thugs attacked the driver who fought back while hooting and trying to drive off from the busy highway," he said.

He added that this attracted passing by motorists as the besieged driver managed to drive off with the two suspects on board.

"The two suspects managed to jump from the moving trucks and into their gateway vehicle as other truck drivers moved in to rescue their colleague," he said.

A senior police officer who declined to be named confirmed the incident adding that the driver had been treated and discharged in a local hospital.

"We have increased patrols on the highway due to a rise in cases of highway robbery and it's a matter of time before we catch up with the thugs," said the officer.

In the last couple of months, cases of highway robbery along the road have been on the rise with police accusing some drivers of colluding with the robbers.

Meanwhile, residents of a Naivasha estate woke up to a rude shock to find a fetus dumped by the roadside by unknown persons.The lifeless body was found in Kabati estate by a group of playing minors.

A witness Jane Wambui said that the minors were attracted by the dogs dragging something and on checking out they found the foetus that was around seven months old.

"The minors informed their parents who managed to chase away the dogs and called in the police who collected it," she said.

The foetus was taken to the Naivasha sub-country hospital referral hospital mortuary as investigations into the incident started.