Residents of Joska in Machakos County on Monday recounted tense moments as police cornered and fatally shot a man linked to the July 4, 2026 armed robbery at Chaiwali Café in Westlands, Nairobi.

The man was traced to a second-floor house following an investigation into the robbery at the café on General Mathenge Road in the Spring Valley area.

Speaking to the media on Monday, July 13, 2026, one of the neighbours, Mary Kaluki, said she was hanging clothes when officers arrived at the building. They ordered the man to open the door, but he defied the orders, daring the police to break in.

Kaluki said more officers arrived moments later before gunfire broke out inside the building.

“Askari wa kwanza wakikuja nilikua nafua nguo, nikienda kuanika pale juu, ndio nilipata wamesimama kwa mlango na bunduki, wakati walifika askari saba, nikaita rafiki yangu nikamwambia kuna kitu inaendelea hapa,” she said.

“Huyo askari akamwamba fungua hapa, jamaa akasema hawezi fungua akasema ingieni tupatane, askari akaniambia nitoke ju akitoka huwezijua atafanya nini,” she further narrated.

According to police, the man opened fire on officers after refusing to surrender. Officers returned fire, killing him during the exchange.

Police recovered a pistol, five rounds of ammunition and two spent cartridges from the scene.

Robbery captured on CCTV

Police linked Ochieng to the armed robbery at Chaiwali Café on the night of July 4, 2026.

The robbery occurred at about 10:34 p.m. when two motorcycles stopped outside the café. Two armed men entered the premises, threatened customers at gunpoint and moved from table to table, stealing seven mobile phones and a laptop before escaping on the waiting motorcycles.

CCTV footage captured the incident, including one of the gunmen firing a shot into the air while another fired towards the ground after a security guard attempted to intervene.

Chaiwali Café manager Bedar Ichami said the attackers appeared focused on customers’ belongings.

“They targeted the personal effects of our clients because they just came, threatened people, and when our customers ran in, they started picking their phones and laptops and ran away with those items.”

Spent cartridges were recovered at the scene after the robbers fled.

Investigators from Gigiri Police Division launched a manhunt after reviewing CCTV footage and identifying people believed to have taken part in the robbery.

Manhunt continues

Neighbours in Joska described the deceased as a quiet man who rarely interacted with other residents.

Matungulu Police Commander Peter Gichohi confirmed that police had linked him to the robbery.

“The suspect has been linked as one of the four suspects who had attacked a restaurant within General Mathenge Spring Valley. Uh, those are the robberies that happened, uh, in broad daylight.”

Police said investigations are continuing to trace another person of interest and two boda boda riders believed to have facilitated the group’s escape after the robbery.

National Police Service spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said police continue to conduct regular patrols across the country but cannot station officers in every location.

“We have regular patrols all over the country. There is always an assumption that police are everywhere; that is precisely not the case. It is not possible to have a police officer at every place.”

He said investigators were pursuing all available leads as efforts continue to trace the remaining people of interest linked to the Westlands robbery.