Police in Matete, Kakamega county shot one man dead and managed to recover a stolen vehicle and cash money in a botched robbery incident early Friday morning. Confirming the incident Matete OCPD Mr. Justus Maina said the man who died was part of a four-man gang that attacked and injured businessman Oscar Acheka at Marram estate in Kakamega town before robbing him of valuables, cash, and used his Car to escape.
Maina said a neighbor who heard commotion in Acheka’s houses alerted the police who immediately circulated the signal to all stations within the region as they chased after the gang.
“We received a signal that there was a robbery incident within Kakamega township at about 4am where gangs said to be armed with crude weapons gain entry into a businessman’s house through one of the windows, clobbered him with a club and left him lying unconscious on the floor after ransacking his house, we alerted our officers at Kabrengu and Lwandeti roadblock and at about 5am the said vehicle arrived but efforts to stop it failed as the driver ignored an order from the officers and sped off,” explained Maina.
The officers informed their colleagues at Lwandeti where also the driver defied an order to stop forcing the officers to open fire against them. “One of them died instantly another one surrendered while two others, a man, and a woman fled the scene with bullet injuries.”
The body was moved to Kakamega Referral Mortuary Hospital while the recovered car, a white Probox, registration number KBT 261G was towed to Kakamega police station.
A mobile phone, and Kshs 57, 210 out of Kshs 300, 000 stolen from the businessman was recovered from the deceased person.
According to Maina , a manhunt has been launched for the two suspects as investigations into the matter start taking shape. “We expect the one in custody to help in our investigations even as we wait for the identification of the one who was shot dead,” said the OCPD.
He has however urged area residents, and especially health officers to report to nearest security officers any person spotted with bullet wounds on his body.
Police are yet to establish the motive of the attack but said they suspect the attackers knew the businessman well and could have wanted to rob him of cash. “He operates an M-Pesa business shop in town and we suspect the attackers knew where he lives and planned the robbery before it was executed.”
Kakamega town has witnessed a series of criminal cases in the recent past with three night guards having been killed at Coca-Cola depot near Nakumatt supermarket and total petrol station near the police station about two months ago.