National Police Service spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga has defended the police response to the armed robbery at Chaiwali Café in Westlands, saying officers cannot be stationed at every location across the country.

Nyaga told a local TV station on Monday, July 6, 2026, that police conduct regular patrols but acknowledged that it is impossible to deploy an officer to every business, street or residential area.

“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,” Nyaga said.

He described the Saturday night robbery as a carefully organised operation, adding that police could not publicly disclose details of the ongoing investigation.

“The speed at which the Westlands incident took place was well planned. It will not be possible to give the exact details of what the police are doing about this,” he added.

Gunmen raid café

The robbery happened at Chaiwali Café along General Mathenge Road at about 10:34 pm and was captured by the establishment’s CCTV cameras.

Footage from the café showed two motorcycles arriving outside the premises before two gunmen armed with pistols entered and threatened customers.

The attackers moved from one table to another and stole seven mobile phones and a laptop before escaping on the motorcycles.

Chaiwali Café manager Bedar Ichami said the attackers appeared to have targeted customers’ personal belongings.

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

As the suspects fled, one of them fired a shot while another reportedly discharged his weapon towards the ground after being confronted by a security guard.

Detectives pursue suspects

Detectives from the Gigiri Police Division visited the café, recovered spent cartridges and interviewed employees who witnessed the attack.

Police said they were pursuing the suspects, who are believed to be part of an organised criminal group.

Ichami said phone snatching had become common around Westlands, with some customers losing their devices while making calls or ordering taxis outside business premises.

The latest robbery came about a month after another café in Westlands was targeted, raising fresh concerns among residents and business owners about armed attacks in the area.