BUNGOMA, Kenya — Detectives in Bungoma County have launched investigations after a family was ambushed by six armed men and robbed of more than Sh500,000 in cash and other valuables during a brazen daylight attack along the Chwele–Lwakhakha Road.
The robbery occurred at about 12.30 p.m. on Tuesday near Ndakaru Bridge in Bungoma West Sub-County, with investigators suspecting the attackers may have had prior knowledge of the victims’ movements and financial transactions.
According to police, the family had set out for Namangofulo Village, where the driver intended to make the final payment for a parcel of land he had purchased after withdrawing money from a local bank branch in Kimilili.
The victim was driving a black Toyota Wish and was accompanied by members of his family when a silver Toyota Axio reportedly overtook and blocked their vehicle.
Police said six men armed with pistols alighted from the vehicle and confronted the family, ordering the driver to surrender the cash he was carrying.
The gang made away with Sh500,000 in cash, a Nokia mobile phone valued at Sh24,000, and other personal belongings belonging to members of the family.
Witnesses told investigators the robbers fled the scene in the Toyota Axio towards Chwele Town immediately after the robbery.
Police officers visited the scene, documented evidence and launched investigations aimed at identifying and arresting the suspects.
Investigators are pursuing the possibility that the gang may have received information about the victim’s bank withdrawal and intended destination before carrying out the attack.
The incident is the latest in a series of highway robberies targeting motorists transporting large sums of money, even as security agencies continue operations to dismantle criminal gangs involved in such attacks.
Police have urged members of the public handling large cash transactions to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to security agencies.
