A brave shopkeeper fought off three AK47 rifle-wielding robbers and managed to disarm them of the firearm in Korogocho Nairobi on July 9.
The firearm, serial number KP 60034486 loaded with 9 rounds of ammunition was later found to belong to the Kenya Police Service.
Nairobi Region police commander Adamson Bungei confirmed the incident but said it was being ‘addressed internally’.
Bungei said investigations had been launched to establish the identity of the robbers and circumstances surrounding the loss of the firearm.
“We will know who had it and at what time. It is clear the weapon belongs to Kenya Police,” he told sauce.co.ke
According to the police, the gang of three men, one armed with an AK47 rifle and others with crude weapons, raided Highridge area of Korogocho at around 11pm.
They started robbing shop owners including George Kiragu who was robbed of Sh15,000. Another victim, Mohammed was robbed of Sh28,000, mobile phone and a wrist watch.
The gang then proceeded to the next shop but the shopkeeper resisted, resulting in a fierce fight. He sustained multiple stab wounds but managed to disarm the three of the rifle.
He was rushed to hospital in a critical condition.
The loss of a firearm by the police poses serious questions after four rifles and ammunition went missing from Griftu Police Station armory in Wajir County went missing on Wednesday, July 6. This happened after Police commitments earlier in the year regarding the marking of firearms and ammunition.
In May 2023, the National Police Service (NPS) stated that it had already marked 98 percent of its firearms. The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) was by then at 70 percent with the marking process.
