Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested four robbery with violence suspects — three Ugandan nationals and one Kenyan — in a coordinated security operation.
In a statement on Friday, May 23, DCI said three firearms were recovered during the operation, which targeted Nairobi’s Dandora, Saika, Pumwani, and Huruma estates.
The Thursday raid followed a series of armed robbery incidents reported in Nairobi and parts of the Western region, allegedly carried out by an organised gang.
According to DCI, the suspects’ modus operandi had been analysed in advance by the agency’s Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau, which enabled the successful crackdown.
“Swinging into action, the Operation Action Team of the DCI backed up by their counterparts at the Intelligence Bureau launched a manhunt for each of the four suspects, successfully netting all with two pistols, an AK 47 rifle and 50 rounds of ammunition,” read part of the statement.
3 Ugandan robbers nabbed by DCI detectives
The first three suspects arrested were all identified as Ugandan nationals.
According to DCI, the first suspect led officers to his rented house in Saika, where a Falcon pistol loaded with 11 rounds of ammunition was discovered hidden under a pillow during interrogation.
A second suspect was apprehended and taken to his residence in Dandora, where detectives recovered an AK-47 assault rifle loaded with 30 rounds of ammunition, concealed beneath a couch.
Further questioning of the two led investigators to the Huruma home of the third suspect, who had been living with his family. DCI reports that he has since been identified as the owner of the recovered AK-47 rifle.
Also Read: DCI Arrests 28 Suspects, Recovers 22 Stolen Vehicles in Major Theft Crackdown
Preliminary investigations indicate that the Ugandan trio had returned to Kenya on May 21 through the Malaba border, after fleeing to Uganda following a violent robbery incident in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area.
The fourth suspect, a Kenyan believed to be the gang’s ringleader and residing in Githurai 45, was arrested in Pumwani.
“He has been the master planner in all the gangs’ operations. On arrest and search, the second pistol, a Palleberum Feg .9mm loaded with nine rounds was found tucked in his waist. The swift arrest of the four thwarted a planned robbery at a business premise at 12th Street Eastleigh. Other accomplices in the planned attack holed up but have been identified and are being pursued,” added DCI.
The four arrested suspects have been handed over to DCI Starehe for processing, with an identification parade scheduled for today ahead of their arraignment.
Lebanese national extradited
Meanwhile, detectives from the Anti-Narcotics Unit (ANU) have handed over a Lebanese national wanted for narcoterrorism and money laundering to U.S. authorities for extradition.
Also Read: Mob Overpowers Police Officers, One in Critical Condition
In a statement on Thursday, May 22, DCI said Antoine Kassis — a fugitive — was arrested earlier this year by detectives acting on a Red Notice from NCB Washington, USA, and an arrest warrant from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Kassis was arrested at a hotel in Kiambu County shortly after arriving aboard a Qatar Airways flight. He was held at Gigiri Police Station pending arraignment in court to initiate the extradition process.
The suspect was handed over to U.S. security agents on Thursday following the conclusion of extradition proceedings, in accordance with a Milimani Magistrate’s Court order (Case No. MCCR Misc/E1025/2025) dated April 16, and a warrant of surrender issued by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) dated May 2, 2025.
He was escorted by Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agents and a senior prosecutor from the ODPP.
Follow our WhatsApp Channel and X Account for real-time news updates.
