Months after Manu Chandaria robbery, armed thugs strike Muthaiga again

Starehe police officers are investigating a home invasion that occurred at the residence of Mr Harish Patel, the managing director of Kenya Horticultural Export Limited, in Muthaiga estate.

The robbery occurred on Saturday night around 8:30pm where money and jewellery of undisclosed value was stolen by three armed robbers who by press time were still at large.

Police say the robbers accessed the home that is located along Tchui Road by scaling a back wall and cutting the electric fence.

Upon entry, the thugs got hold of the gardener and ordered him to wake up the rest of workers, all of whom were tied up with sisal ropes before the robbers gained entry into the main house. The criminals used the keys that the house help had in her possession to gain entry into the main house. 

Inside the residence, the thugs found Mr Patel and his family, and ordered them to surrender all their money and jewellery at gunpoint. 

"They ransacked the house and made away with unknown amount of cash and jewellery of unknown value. No one was injured and there was no shooting during the incident. No electronics or phones were stolen," stated a police report.

The three thugs then escaped through the same back wall they scaled. No one was injured in the incident and no electronics were stolen from the home.

After a private security firm in the area raised alarm, police officers rushed to the scene and established that the main gate was still locked, but they managed to gain entry by scaling over the wall.

Similar robbery

The robbery mirrors a similar incident that occurred at the home of billionaire industrialist Manu Chandaria in December last year where close to a million shillings and jewellery valued at over half a million shillings was stolen.

All the suspected thugs, about eight in number, stayed in the house for several hours and managed to escape through the neighbouring expansive Karura forest. According to a DCI report at the time, they escaped while firing a G3 rifle said to have been stolen from a police officer manning the compound. 

Mr Chandaria's family was not harmed in the incident.  

Police Constable Jared Ombonga Makabe of the Critical Infrastructure Unit was arrested in connection with the robbery.

Muthaiga, one of Nairobi's most exclusive neighbourhoods, is home to high-net-worth individuals, business owners and envoys, including former President Mwai Kibaki. 

Mugging squad

The city is experiencing a general growth in criminal activity, leading police to establish a unit targeting muggers who are targeting members of the public.

On Monday, Inspector-General of Police Hillary Mutyambai announced the formation of a special police unit that will handle muggings and robbery cases in Nairobi. 

He revealed this while engaging Kenyans on his periodical #EngageTheIG forum on Twitter.

The special team will help eradicate cases where pedestrians are attacked and their valuables stolen, and motorists robbed of their car accessories while stuck in traffic jams.

It will also help fight crimes carried out by thugs on motorcycles.

"We have a special anti-mugging squad that handles robbery with violence incidents including the ones that involve boda boda riders," Mr Mutyambai said.