Nakuru police hunt AK-47 gunman linked to three murders

Mr Kipkoech died at the scene, while Ms Kwamboka was injured and rushed to Nakuru Teaching and Referral Hospital, where she was treated and discharged at 1am.

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Speaking to the Nation at her home, Ms Kwamboka said that, at around 1pm, three people on a motorcycle had visited a nearby shop, posing as customers looking to buy airtime.

Ms Kwamboka, who has been a trader for six years, said that the shopkeeper had referred them to her. After she had served them, they left. At around 4pm, the same individuals passed by again, but did not stop.

She continued with her work, and at around 7pm, she received a call from a client requesting a gas cylinder, which delayed her closing time.

The three men she had served earlier then stormed into her shop, ordered her to lie down and demanded money. Two were armed with pangas and the third carried a gun resembling an AK-47.

Terrified, Ms Kwamboka directed them to where she had kept the money, planning her escape as she did so. She managed to flee, but the two men with pangas caught up with her a few metres away. They slashed her forehead, neck and left leg before dragging her back into the shop as she bled.

“I had to tell them where I had kept the money. They took Sh40,000 and airtime recharge cards. Before leaving, they told me to close the door. While inside, I called an officer from the Baraka Police Post. But before they could arrive, the robbers shot someone and fled on a motorcycle,” she recounted.

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According to Ms Kwamboka, Kipkoech, a casual labourer in one of the homes, had responded to her cries for help after hearing the commotion.

Ms Kwamboka was rushed to hospital by neighbours, while the police took Kipkoech’s body to the Nakuru City Mortuary.

“They hadn’t covered their faces; they were middle-aged men. It’s unfortunate he (Kipkoech) died—he had just come to check on what was happening. In all my years in business, I have never gone through something like this. I am still terrified,” she said.

Ms Euphemia Achieng, who operates a fishmonger's stall next to Ms Kwamboka’s shop, said she saw three men assaulting Ms Kwamboka while she was lying on the ground.

Initially thinking they were police officers, as one of them was wearing a police jacket and holding a gun, she rushed over. She pleaded with them to stop, but they ignored her and she screamed for help.

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Realising that her screams might attract a crowd, the man with the gun pointed it at her to scare her away. Ms Achieng fled with her two children and took cover in a nearby plot.

“At first, I thought they were police officers. But when I saw the two attacking Kwamboka with pangas, I knew they were robbers. I couldn’t just leave her alone, so I screamed. They threatened to kill me. I later learned it was one of our neighbours who had been shot dead,” she said.

Residents have called on the police to increase patrols in the area due to frequent robberies and burglaries.

In a separate incident, Mr Jackson Mwangi was murdered by armed robbers at his shop near Joyland Church in Pipeline area on the night of May 21. He was with his wife at the time.

The robbers shot Mwangi before fleeing with items worth more than Sh200,000. Mr Mwangi was pronounced dead on arrival at the Nakuru Teaching and Referral Hospital, while his wife sustained an arm injury.

On May 23, businessman Paul Ndung’u was shot dead in Ndege Ndimu, Bahati sub-county.

Three days later, on May 26, one suspect, Jackson Anyangu Ochito, was arrested and taken to court.

Detectives requested 21 days to complete their investigation.

According to a sworn affidavit by investigating officer Bernard Kechei, the suspect is linked to five incidents in the Pipeline area between May 21 and 23. The officer noted similarities in the suspect's modus operandi, proximity of locations, and profile.

During Anyangu’s arrest, the police recovered a motorcycle (registration number KMFX 699R), a hammer believed to have been used in the robberies and three mobile phones.

The officer requested more time to conduct further investigations, hold an identification parade and trace accomplices still at large.

“There is a need for ballistic analysis and forensic examination of the spent cartridge recovered at the crime scene. Additionally, post-mortems must be conducted, and further witness statements and communication data analysed,” the affidavit read.

Senior Resident Magistrate Emmanuel Soita granted the detectives 14 days to complete their investigations and ordered that the suspect be detained at the Central Police Station. The case will be reviewed on June 9.

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These violent incidents have sparked fear among residents and prompted security agencies to convene an urgent meeting to address the rising insecurity.

Nakuru County Commissioner Loyford Kibaara confirmed that a lone gunman and his accomplices have been targeting businesses between 8pm and 10pm, using motorcycles to escape.

He said that the police had linked the shootings in Pipeline, Ndege Ndimu and Ngata to a single firearm used by the suspect who is still at large.

“The spent cartridges retrieved in Ndege Ndimu and Ngata have been sent for ballistic analysis in Nairobi to establish if the weapon is one assigned to a police officer,” he said.

Mr Kibaara added that the gunman reportedly carries the weapon in a sack, urging residents to report anyone seen carrying suspicious luggage.

“When you listen to these stories, it’s clearly the same weapon being used. A firearm in the wrong hands is a major threat. Two people are already in custody, and their statements have given us leads. But more attacks are happening. We call on residents to remain vigilant—we are on top of this,” he said.

He also noted that officers at the Pakawa Police Post had been transferred following a surge in insecurity in the Pipeline area.

Meanwhile, Mr Stephen Mwanda, the spokesperson for the Nakuru boda boda operators, announced plans to vet all motorcycle taxi riders at stage level across the city and its outskirts, saying that criminals could be using privately owned motorcycles.

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