A gruesome shootout on Thika Road yesterday that left a motorist dead is the latest incident of rising insecurity in Nairobi. 

The man driving a white Subaru Forester was shot dead after unknown gunmen riding on a motorcycle sprayed his vehicle with bullets at Kwa Kairu in Juja, Kiambu county.

Area police boss Dorothy Migarusha said the victim had more than 10 bullets pumped into his body. He was rushed to Thika Level Five hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. 

The shooting comes hours after Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) journalist Shiksha Arora became a victim of mugging on a night a woman  was shot dead and two others seriously injured in two separate incidents by gunmen riding on motorbikes.

Arora took to her social media account to share her nasty experience on the way  to her new work station at the national broadcaster.

“Yesterday at around 5.20pm I got robbed at the Globe roundabout flyover. Guy One knocked my side mirror, bending it backwards and walked away.

While I was rolling down my window slightly to reposition the mirror, Guy Two started banging the front seat passenger window loudly,” she said. 

Narrating her ordeal on her Twitter page, Arora, a former K24 TV anchor, said she was attacked by a gang of three men in what was a well-coordinated scheme, often targetting  motorists, mostly women.

The first thug, she said, knocked her side mirror, as if by accident, bending it backwards and walked away, in an apparent distraction move.

While she was rolling down the window slightly to reposition the mirror, the second thug started banging the front seat passenger window. 

“As I was looking to my left, the third person slid his hand in through my window and unlocked my car, got into the back seat.

He grabbed my purse and asked for my phone… at this point I was in panic mode, couldn’t say anything,” she said.

“He asked for it again and reached for my neck, strangling me,” she added.

She hooted to alert other motorists and they started getting out of their cars. The gang, however, managed to escape with her purse.

“These thugs work in teams in broad daylight during peak traffic, do not roll down your window no matter what when on Globe roundabout,” Arora advised motorists.

Daring gangs

Over 20 cases of robberies, kidnappings and muggings have been reported in the Central Business District (CBD) in the last two days, leaving scores injured and property of unknown value stolen.

The daring gangs are now committing such crimes in broad daylight. In another incident on Monday evening, gunmen shot dead Emma Achieng’, wife of Benga musician John Ochieng’, popularly known as Madanje Perimeter, in Donholm area. Emma was rushed to Mama Lucy Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.

Witnesses said Emma and a friend had closed business and were walking from the Jacaranda roundabout to Bee Centre on Spine Road when they were confronted by two men followed by others riding a motorcycle.

“They ordered the two to surrender all the cash and other belongings. The other woman gave out her bag but Emma hesitated.

She was shot on the head twice while her friend was shot on the thigh,” a witness said.

The shooting took place in a well-lit road at a time when there were many people walking home.

Yesterday afternoon, another gang shot and seriously injured a woman in her shop in Eastleigh. The armed gang robbed her of cash and valuables of unknown value before escaping on a motorcycle. 

The victim is said to be dealing in jewellery. Nairobi regional police commander Augustine Nthumbi, however, downplayed the incidents, saying the situation was under control as police had enhanced patrols within the city.

“According to the reports we have, the situation is not bad. I would, however, urge members of the public to report such cases to the police,” he said.  

Formal reports

Some residents who narrated their experiences at the hands of muggers said that even when they reported the incidents police rarely took action. 

 Though Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai recently confirmed that there was a surge in such crimes within the city, he has not revealed how the service plans to address the situation that seems to have worsened.

Meanwhile, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has called on victims who have been attacked and robbed in the city to always report to authorities.

DCI said many victims took to social media to share their experiences instead of making formal reports to police for justice and possible recovery.

“The DCI urges members of the public who may fall or have fallen victim to mugging within  Nairobi CBD to make formal reports at the Nairobi Central DCI offices whenever such unfortunate incidents happen,” DCI said in a tweet.

Detectives said they sometimes make arrests but unless victims record statements, the suspects cannot be taken to court.

“Many are scenarios when suspected muggers go scot-free even after they have been arrested along various streets and walks within the CBD, as the few who report at the station fail to pursue their cases or never turn up for hearings,” DCI said.

Surge in crime has partly been attributed to the economic meltdown occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic. Ironically, some rogue security officers have been involved in the commission of robberies.

On Saturday night, an Administration Police (AP) Constable Julius Oduor Ayieko was arrested following a botched robbery at an Mpesa shop in Chuka, Tharaka Nithi county.

The victim, Moreen Kanana, said she was approached by the man who asked if he could withdraw money from the shop.

He instead entered the kiosk through the back door and threatened her with a gun before robbing her of Sh9,000.

Missing persons

“She raised an alarm and the officer was cornered by members of the public.

“He was later identified as an AP officer attached to the Embu West Critical Infrastructure Police Unit.

He was armed with a scorpion rifle and was also found in possession of a pair of handcuffs,” police headquarters said.

Besides the robberies, the country has also witnessed a surge in cases of kidnappings and missing persons. Most kidnapping victims have been children and the other worrying thing is that some have been found murdered.

Security experts say the police service currently appears to be involved in reactive policing, only responding after such crimes have been committed.

Proactive policing entails strategies that seek to prevent or reduce crime, and not focus on uncovering ongoing crime or investigating crimes once they have occurred.

On Sunday, Hafsa Mohamed Lukman, the businesswoman who was abducted on June 15 was finally rescued from a dingy room in Kayole.