UASIN GISHU,Kenya, Feb, 1 – A man who was being sought after in connection to a robbery that took place at the residence of former Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich has been arrested following another robbery at the residence of Rotich’s parents on Monday night.
On Monday at around 7pm, five armed men raided the residence of Rotich Matui 82 and his wife Tereki Rotich in Kaptich village Uasin Gishu county where they ransacked the house for over 30 minutes before robbing the couple of cash and mobile phones.
The robbers then escaped after members of the public raised the alarm on hearing commotion at the home but were yesterday morning tracked down and arrested.
Detectives said one of the arrested suspects was being sought in connection to another robbery that took place at the residence of former CS Rotich at Elgon View 2 years ago.
The couple’s son, Moses Rotich 44, said he was outside the compound when the robbers wearing face masks and surgical gloves stormed through the gate.
“They took all mobile phones from us, switched them off and ordered all the four bedrooms to be opened,” he said.
As three of them ransacked the house, two of the robbers kept guard while armed with a pistol. They then left after 30 minutes having robbed Rotich’s mother of Sh1,500.
Tuesday morning, a team of detectives from the Uasin Gishu Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), acting on a tip off, managed to intercept the vehicle, Mercedes Benz registration number KCR 221L, along the Old Nairobi road in Eldoret.
The detectives arrested all the four occupants who have been identified as Cosmus Kemei 28, Benson Okila 37, Joseph Kipkurui Kosgei 27, and Phanuel Maindu Tiriki 36.
The officers also recovered an Austrian-made Glock Ges pistol loaded with 14 rounds of ammunition, five mobile phones, four black face masks, two pairs of gloves, four jackets, two caps, a hut, balaclava, two hammers, a rope, and a machete.
The recovered pistol belongs to Okila but by yesterday detectives were yet to establish whether he illegally bought it or had hired it from some robbers.
“He is not a licenced firearm holder and is illegally in possession of the firearm. It will be subjected to ballistic examination to establish if it had been used in committing other robberies within the area and its environs,” a senior detective told Shahidi News.
Police also said they had established that the vehicle belonged to Tiriki who is also suspected to be involved fraud and fake currencies.
According to the police, a robbery was committed at the residence of Rotich at Elgon View estate in Eldoret in 2020 where they stole a safe. Some suspects were arrested and later two of them were charged in court in Eldoret.
Upon interrogation, the accused persons revealed that they had been directed by Okila who was well conversant with the home.
“Since then, detectives have been looking for him but he disappeared,” a police source said.
Police said he suspected that Rotich had kept a lot of cash in the safe which had been kept in the house.
Detectives said the car was fixed with a car track device which had already shown how the gang moved up to the Rotich’s that night.
The former CS however yesterday downplayed the attack saying it was normal criminal incident.
Want to send us a story? Contact Shahidi News Tel: +254115512797 (Mobile & WhatsApp)
