NAIROBI, Kenya July 16 – Three firearms that had been stolen from authorities have been successfully recovered in separate incidents, police confirmed Sunday.
In two cases, the firearms were recovered by a woman and by a male shopkeeper, all during foiled robbery attempts.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) reported that two AK47 rifles were recovered on July 13 in Ndhiwa and on July 9 in Korogocho, Nairobi, respectively.
The third firearm, a G3 rifle, was recovered in Transzoia on May 27.
One of the incidents occurred when an armed man with an AK47 rifle broke into a home in Nyawiso village, Ndhiwa, Homabay County.
A businesswoman who had just returned home after closing her shop in Ndhiwa town confronted the robber, who was armed with a knife.
During the struggle, the woman managed to seize the gun, causing the robber to flee, leaving the firearm behind.
Members of the public and police responded to the incident and later discovered that the recovered firearm, an AK47 rifle with serial number 4852172 and loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition, had been stolen from an Administration Police Constable of the Ndhiwa Critical Infrastructure Police Unit (CIPU).
“As a thorough probe into the circumstances under which the firearms ended up in the hands of criminal gangs, the DCI commends the two women for their bravery and for joining in the fight to sanitize the streets of gangsters and illegal arms,” the DCI said.
In another incident on July 9, a courageous shopkeeper successfully fended off three armed robbers wielding AK47 rifles in Korogocho, Nairobi, and managed to disarm them.
The recovered firearm, loaded with nine rounds of ammunition, was later determined to belong to the Kenya Police Service.
According to the police, the gang of three, one armed with an AK47 rifle and the others with crude weapons, targeted the Highridge area of Korogocho.
They proceeded to rob several shop owners, with one victim losing Sh15,000 and another, Mohammed, being robbed of Sh28,000, a mobile phone, and a wristwatch.
During the subsequent confrontation with the shopkeeper, a fierce fight ensued.
Although he sustained multiple stab wounds, he successfully disarmed all three individuals. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
Another recovery of a government firearm was reported in the Lions area, Transzoia West, on May 27.
In that incident, a lone robber armed with a loaded G3 rifle confronted a couple as they opened their shop at 6 AM.
The woman bravely confronted the gunman and evaded four bullets that were aimed at her.
She managed to overpower the robber, who fled the scene, leaving behind the rifle loaded with 11 rounds of ammunition.
The G3 rifle had been stolen from a Kitale Medium Prison officer at the Kitale Referral Hospital on April 19, 2023, while he was guarding a sick prisoner.
Numerous police firearms have been lost under unclear circumstances.
