NAIROBI, Kenya – A gang that had struck fear into residents of Nakuru County has finally been brought to book, following a coordinated police operation that led to the arrest of five suspects and the recovery of an AK-47 rifle used in their violent attacks.
The operation, mounted by detectives from the DCI’s Operation Action Team and Crime Research Bureau in collaboration with Nakuru-based officers, was based on intelligence leads that helped flush the gang from its hideouts.
Recovered weapon: The AK-47 rifle, serial number 18916, was recovered in the Rhonda area of Nakuru, where it was concealed in dry grass near a residential house, according to County Commissioner Loyford Kibaara. The weapon had three rounds of ammunition.
The gang is accused of a string of violent crimes, including a fatal ambush on police officers on the night of June 1, 2025, that left one officer dead and two others injured.
That attack proved to be their final act before police closed in.
NAKURU GUN-GANG ROUNDED UP AS POLICE RECOVER KILLER RIFLEA team of detectives deployed to hunt down a daring armed gang that had become the nightmare of Nakuru County dwellers has rounded up the five gang members and recovered the AK-47 used in their crime spree.Acting on
In another chilling incident, the gang stormed a shop in Soilo, where they attacked the 24-year-old owner with machetes and daggers before robbing him of hundreds of thousands of shillings.
The victim, Duncan Elias Mwambili, 23, was then dragged outside and shot in the stomach, later dying at the hospital.
Police say the suspects were armed with a rifle during the robbery and shot Mwambili during a struggle.
The gang is also linked to other attacks across the county, including the shooting of an M-Pesa attendant in Menengai and the murder of a good Samaritan who responded to the scene.
The arrested suspects have been identified as:
- William Nywhili Rioba
- Nyahili Nyamuhaga Magige
- Emmanuel Muita Muita
- Catherine Nkatha Zakayo
- Peter Chacha
DCI detectives in Nakuru East are processing the five for arraignment scheduled for Tuesday, June 3.
In a statement, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) assured Nakuru residents and Kenyans at large that security remains a top priority, with multiple anti-robbery teams dispatched to dismantle organized armed gangs across the country.
“These operations are intended to end reigns of terror and restore safety,” DCI said, amid a recent surge in violent crime in Nakuru that has raised concern among residents.
