NAIROBI, Kenya – A Beretta pistol belonging to Court of Appeal Judge Justice Aggrey Muchelule has been recovered by detectives following a fatal shootout with an armed robbery suspect in Joska, Machakos County, with investigators linking the firearm to a high-profile robbery in Nairobi.
According to police, the pistol was recovered on Monday, July 13, during an operation by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) targeting a suspected member of a notorious armed gang operating across Nairobi, Kiambu and Machakos counties.
The suspect, identified as Vincent Ochieng, was killed after allegedly opening fire on officers who had surrounded his hideout in Joska.
Detectives recovered the loaded Beretta pistol, additional ammunition and several mobile phones from the scene.
Investigations later established that the firearm belonged to Court of Appeal Judge Aggrey Muchelule.
Police records indicate the judge was informed of the recovery on July 14 and only then realized the weapon was missing from his heavily secured residence in Kitusuru.
In a statement recorded at Spring Valley Police Station, Justice Muchelule said he rarely carried the firearm and last physically checked it in October 2025 when he intended to renew his firearm licence.
However, he did not complete the renewal process and was unaware the pistol had disappeared.
Detectives believe the Beretta, bearing serial number H20930Y, was used during the July 4 robbery at Chaiiwali Café along General Mathenge Road in Nairobi’s Spring Valley area.
The robbery, carried out by masked gunmen, was captured on CCTV cameras and showed customers being terrorised before the attackers escaped with electronic devices.
The footage circulated widely online, prompting the DCI to launch an intensive investigation to identify the suspects and recover the stolen property.
Following forensic analysis, officers linked the recovered firearm to the robbery.
A detective involved in the investigation confirmed that the weapon recovered in Joska matched the one used during the Chaiiwali Café attack.
Authorities are now investigating how the judge’s licensed firearm ended up in the hands of criminals. The pistol is undergoing further ballistic examination to determine whether it may have been used in other unsolved crimes.
Meanwhile, detectives have intensified the hunt for Ochieng’s alleged accomplices as part of a broader multi-agency operation targeting armed criminal gangs operating in Nairobi and several other regions across the country.