The AK47 rifle-wielding gang comprising four Ugandans that was arrested in Nairobi on Friday had also, between March 24 and April 26, committed several robberies in Busia and Bungoma, where they robbed their victims of at least Sh1.78 million in cash and phones valued at over Ksh401,000.

The daring gang had adopted a distinctive pattern of operation that involved the use of an AK-47, a pistol and mostly two unregistered motorcycles as getaways. In almost all the cases, they only robbed their victims of cash and mobile phones, according to the victims. During the same period, they shot dead a boda boda rider near Wema Hotel in Bumala and also shot and seriously injured a police officer in Kiminini.

Among the robberies linked to the gang was on March 24 when six of the gang members, armed with an AK47 rifle and two pistols, raided Kassmat Wholesale Shop and Mwalimu General Merchandise Shop in Lugulu, Butula Sub-County, where they robbed the owners and staff of around Sh700,000 and phones valued at Sh250,000.

Elukongo Sub-Location Assistant Chief Maurice Masikini informed officers from Butula police station and while on their way to Ogallo Market, they received another call that there was another robbery at Lugulu Market.

“It was established that the two robberies had been committed by the same gang which fled from the scenes in two motorcycles while firing in the air. They fired one round at Ogallo market and three rounds at Lugulu, during the two robberies, before escaping towards Namabale,” police said.

One spent cartridge was recovered at the scene. On April 5, four of the gang members raided Tony Ouma Muduru’s shop at Matayos along the Busia-Kisumu highway in Busia Sub-County and robbed him of Sh150,000 and two phones valued at Sh31,000.

“They were armed with an AK47, a pistol and knife. They escaped from the scene on two motorcycles whose registration numbers were not captured. No one was injured during the incident,” police said.

Retail shops

The same night, five of them also raided Highway Bumala Wholesalers and retail shop as Ali Edin was preparing to close his shop. They ordered everybody inside the shop to lie down before robbing them of Sh280,000, three mobile and a CCTV CPU all valued at Sh61,000.

They then moved to an adjacent shop, Al-Jazera Wholesalers, where they robbed Kulow Mohamed Hassan of Sh650,000. A rider who witnessed the robberies attempted to follow them as they were escaping but he was shot dead by one of the robbers around Wema Hotel. Members of the public protested the insecurity incidents and later dumped the body of the slain rider at the gate of Bumula police station.

The body was later transferred to Busia Referral Hospital Mortuary, awaiting identification and autopsy. By analysing the gang’s modus operandi, detectives concluded that the same gang was behind the robberies in the Western part of the country, though there was still no direct evidence.

Following a painstaking probe by the DCI, detectives from Busia and Nambale, acting on a tip off, on April 7 arrested Ramadhan Hussein within Ogalo market

Upon interrogation, he confessed that he was involved in some robberies, adding that he usually got the gun from his uncle, identified as Anthony Musumba.

“The suspect led the team to Mauko village where the house was searched but no firearm was recovered. Officers, however, recovered a National Youth Service sweater and desert boots,” police said.

On May 16, DCI detectives also arrested Lucas Ouma Oduor and Joseph Luora, who also confessed and said they were part of the gang comprising two Ugandan nationals, ‘Moha’ and ‘Sande’, who are usually armed with an AK47 rifle and a pistol, respectively.

It was further established that the gang had on April 26 during a robbery incident in Luuya Bwake Ward in Kiminini, shot and injured a police officer from Kachonge police post. A boda boda rider, Bramwel Nyongesa Barasa, reported that he was attacked by four men armed with an AK47 rifle and a pistol at Lurende village.

Officers from Khachonge police post rushed to the scene and on the way, they were shot at, and the bullet hit Corporal Victor Byegonon in the right leg and was later rushed to hospital. The robbers fled away using a motorcycle belonging to Evans Mukhwana Juma after abandoning theirs.

They also robbed them of a phone valued at Sh59,000.