A wave of terror swept through the streets of Mombasa as a gang of approximately 30 individuals armed with machetes unleashed a series of burglaries and violent attacks on residents.

Among their victims was a woman identified as Alice Nkirote, a shop owner who fell victim to the gang’s ruthless assault.

In the dead of night at around 2 am, on Wednesday 3rd April, as Nkirote lay asleep in her shop, the gang broke in, barging in with excessive force and demanding cash from the startled shop owner.

As per the narration, Nkirote explained that she had no money at the moment, a response that angered the gang prompting them to tie her up and assault her. 

The Shop owner’s narration

“They told me to get up and produce the cash. I asked them what cash,” she narrated, adding that they demanded the cash she made from her sales as they continued to beat her.

“I explained to them that I did not know where the money was and that they should call my husband as he is the one who knows where it is.”

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Angered by her response, her attackers resorted to pouring petrol on her body before setting her shop on fire which went up in a blaze of destruction.

“I screamed when I saw that they wanted to light the fire, that is when one of them struck me with a machete on my head.”

“When he realized that my screams would alert and bring people to the scene, he lit the match and dropped the matchbox which fell on the couch,” She added.

Injuries sustained during the gang attack

The harrowing ordeal left Nkirote with multiple severe injuries, including wounds to her head, ears, and both hands inflicted by the merciless gang members.

The doctor who attended to Nkirote while speaking to the media said, “We were able to stabilize the bleeding by suturing and also gave her the necessary medication as per that moment.”

Furthermore, the audacious criminals did not stop at the assault, they also proceeded to loot Nkirote’s shop, escaping with a significant haul that included 18 gas-filled cylinders, money, a television set, and a radio set.

Nkirote’s husband speaks about the incident

The aftermath of the attack painted a grim picture for Nkirote and her husband, James Njilu, as they faced the harsh reality of losing everything they had worked for, with the fire consuming not just their merchandise but also the cash from their M-Pesa business.

While speaking to the media Alice’s husband James Njilu expressed his disappointment at the unfortunate ordeal saying “Clothes, shoes and all the merchandise were destroyed in the fire, even the cash from the M-Pesa business was lost in the fire.”

“I am now left as I am with nothing but the clothes on my back,” lamented James Njilu.

A response by the police then led to the arrest of eight suspects, among them a 17-year-old minor, offering a glimmer of hope for justice to the shop owners.

Police arrest suspected gang members

As the community deals with the shock of the heinous crime, calls for accountability have echoed through the area, with demands for the arrests of the parents of the young perpetrators.

The ongoing efforts by police to capture the remaining gang members serve as a testament to the unwavering resolve of the authorities to combat such acts of violence and restore a sense of security to the streets of Mombasa.