On Monday, December 4, detectives apprehended four individuals suspected of kidnapping a car dealer and a broker a few days earlier, an incident that culminated in a car accident in Juja involving a stolen vehicle.
According to a police report recounting the events of Friday, December 1, 2023, car dealer Kennedy Kimuhu Gitau received a call from car broker Brian Karanja, who informed him about a potential buyer interested in a Toyota Prado vehicle in Juja.
Subsequently, the pair traveled from a showroom along Kiambu Road to Juja to meet the prospective buyer, identified as Robert Sifuna Wekesa.
Upon meeting, the trio embarked on a test drive toward Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT). They eventually stopped in front of a gated house in Juja, where all three exited the vehicle.
Shortly afterward, three men on a motorcycle appeared, instructing the two car dealers to enter the house while the client, Wekesa, drove the car into the compound.
The duo found themselves held hostage inside the house, with the kidnappers compelling them to use their phones to solicit a ransom of Ksh. 2.5 million each from their families and friends.
On December 4, two men and a woman reportedly bound the kidnapped duo, forcefully loaded them into the Prado, and departed for an undisclosed location. The situation took a dramatic turn when the vehicle reached Juja Equity Bank, colliding with another vehicle before speeding away.
The driver of the affected vehicle pursued the Prado, resulting in another collision at Kahawa Wendani along the service lane of the Thika Superhighway.
The police report stated, “He pursued them to Kahawa Wendani Magunas supermarket along the service lane, where the stolen vehicle lost control, collided with the road steel guards, and came to a stop.”
Following the impact that immobilized the vehicle, the three armed robbers disembarked, pretending to have a medical emergency for one of them. They then commandeered a bodaboda, leaving their bound hostages in the Prado.
The assailants discharged two rounds of ammunition into the air and directed the bodaboda rider to transport them to Juja.
The rider recounted that the female suspect pointed a gun at him while instructing him to drive them away. He took them to the Shell petrol station in Kahawa Sukari, abandoned the motorcycle, and fled for his safety.
“He took them to Kahawa Sukari roundabout and abandoned the motorcycle there. The robbers took the said motorcycle and rode towards Ruiru direction,” stated the police.
In response, detectives initiated a manhunt leading to the arrest of four suspects, aged between 27 and 33 years. The authorities revealed that information provided by the abducted victims guided them to the suspects’ hideout in Juja.
“The victims led us to a hideout in Juja, whereby we have managed to arrest four kidnappers who have been positively identified by the victims,” explained Alex Shikondi, the Ruiru Sub-county Police Commander.
The police also conveyed that they are actively pursuing three additional accomplices who remain at large, urging the public to provide any information that could aid in their apprehension.
Meanwhile, the arrested suspects are scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday, December 5, where the police plan to seek additional time to conclude their investigations.
