Kenya: 5 Suspected Bandits Arrested With Sh2 Million Worth of Livestock

Nairobi — Five suspected thieves were on Tuesday apprehended with livestock estimated at over Sh2 million, along the Naivasha-Longonot highway.

The suspects were in a lorry full of stolen sheep by Naivasha-based detectives.

The vehicle was headed to Nairobi when the sleuths acting on intelligence leads intercepted it according to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).

According to the agency, the sheep had been stolen from a herder in Longonot’s Mirera area.

“The sheep had been stolen from a herder in Longonot’s Mirera area, barely two weeks after another herder lost livestock worth over Sh2.5 million,” the DCI stated.

The agency stated that unscrupulous traders had taken advantage of the growing demand for meat, and resorted to stealing livestock from herders in counties in a new crime wave that appears to be sweeping across the country.

“The animals find their way to the established Dagoretti and Kiamaiko livestock markets, where they are hurriedly slaughtered and supplied to city Nyama choma joints,” the agency added.

According to the agency, a butcher operating a chain of Nyama Choma eateries along Nairobi’s eastern bypass, was arrested by detectives following the disappearance of livestock in neighboring Machakos county following an operation in December 2021.

The suspects are currently in custody pending arraignment.