NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 16 – Court of Appeal Judge Aggrey Muchelule’s account of how his licensed firearm went missing has opened a new line of inquiry for detectives investigating how the weapon ended up in the hands of a suspected armed robber killed during a police operation.
The development has added a new dimension to investigations into the July 4 Spring Valley armed robbery, with detectives now seeking to establish how a licensed firearm belonging to a senior member of the Judiciary disappeared from his residence before allegedly being used by a suspected violent criminal.
According to a police report filed at Spring Valley Police Station, Justice Muchelule told investigators he received a phone call on July 14 informing him that his Beretta pistol had been recovered from a criminal killed during a police operation in Joska, Machakos County.
The call prompted the judge to inspect his residence in New Kitisuru, where he believed the firearm had been stored.
Police said Justice Muchelule then discovered the pistol was missing.
In his statement, the judge told investigators he rarely carried the firearm and had last physically checked it in October 2025 when he intended to renew its firearm certificate.
Although the certificate expired on October 1, 2025, he said he later forgot to complete the renewal process.
The missing firearm was identified as a Beretta pistol that had been loaded with 15 rounds of 9mm ammunition.
Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in Gigiri have since opened investigations into how the weapon disappeared from the judge’s residence and ultimately ended up in criminal hands.
The latest revelations come days after the DCI announced that one of the key suspects linked to the brazen Spring Valley restaurant robbery had been shot dead during an intelligence-led operation in Joska.
According to the DCI, detectives from its headquarters, working jointly with officers from Matungulu Sub-County, tracked the suspect to a house where he was reportedly hiding at his girlfriend’s residence.
Police said officers identified themselves and ordered those inside the house to surrender, but the suspect allegedly opened fire through a kitchen window, triggering a gunfight.
“Detectives returned fire in self-defence. After securing the premises and gaining entry, they found the suspect lying fatally wounded inside the house,” the DCI said.
Among the items recovered from the scene was a Beretta pistol loaded with four rounds of 9mm ammunition, additional live rounds, spent cartridges and three mobile phones.
Investigators subsequently established that the recovered Beretta matches the firearm reported missing by Justice Muchelule.
The weapon has since been submitted to the National Police Service Forensic Laboratory for ballistic examination to determine whether it was used in the Spring Valley robbery or any other violent crimes.
Police believe the slain suspect belonged to a criminal gang behind a series of armed robberies targeting Nairobi, Kiambu and Machakos counties.
The suspect is also believed to have participated in the July 4 robbery at a restaurant along General Mathenge Road in Spring Valley, where four armed men riding motorcycles stormed the premises, robbed patrons of mobile phones and other valuables before firing shots into the air as they fled.
The incident, captured on CCTV and widely shared on social media, heightened public concern over the growing threat posed by armed motorcycle gangs operating in Nairobi’s affluent suburbs.
Detectives are now expected to focus on reconstructing the chain of custody of the firearm, including whether it was stolen from the judge’s residence and how it eventually came into the possession of the suspected robber.
The outcome of the forensic analysis and the ongoing DCI investigation is expected to shed light on whether the pistol was used in the Spring Valley robbery or any other serious criminal offences.
