Elderly Nyandarua farmer gets back his stolen cows

Ten of the 11 hybrid Friesian dairy cows stolen from an elderly farmer from Upper Gilgil in Tumaini, Nyandarua county, have been returned to the owner.

The cows,worth Sh2.2 million, were recovered in Kisii,300 kms from Tumaini where they were stolen.

Four suspect are being held at Ol Kalou Police Station after they were arrested in Kisii, where the cows were recovered on Friday.

Edward Ongeri alias Angwenyi, his wife Veronica Mokeira, Victor Langat and Ezekiel Nyandika were arrested by police led by Nyandarua Central DCI Eric Ochieng.

Mzee David Nganda's cows were stolen on Thursday night and transported to Kisii by a group led by Ongeri and Langat.

Following the incident, police in Nyandarua launched investigations and following crucial leads from the public they traced the cows to Kisii.

Five cows were recovered at Daraja mbili market in Kisii Central, and two in Nyatieko area where they had been sold, and the rest in Ongeri’s home. One cow died as they were being transported to Kisii and it was discovered buried at Ongeri’s compound.

The recovered animals were handed back to the owner by Mirangine deputy county commissioner, Omar Ali, and his Nyandarua Central counterpart Gideon Oyagi at Ol Kalou police station on Saturday.

“I am very thankful to the government for helping me recover my cows. I appreciate the cooperation by various security agencies as it led to the recovery," Nganda said.

He said it was a great achievement that not only were the cows recovered but the thieves were also arrested.

Nganda said it is upon the government to establish the local accomplices of the four suspects.

“Stealing ten cows cannot be done by one or two persons. There must be a big group and we want the government to tell us who they are," he said.

The lorry which ferried the cows to Kisii, and its owner, are yet to be traced. But the escort, a saloon car, is held at Kisii police station.

The car had its fuel tank destroyed by police bullet as they shot at it following the chase to arrest the owner, Victor Lang’at, who attempted to escape. The police had followed the suspects from Nyatieko to Nyambera.

“We found a rope, a panga and others such things in the car,”DCI Eric Ochieng said.

He said the suspects are reluctant to disclose where the lorry is or its owner, but have given a list of people whose lorries they use for their illicit trade.

He said their phones will be inspected to find out who they communicated with.

Mirangine DCC Omar Ali said the ‘investigations and inventiveness’ of various security agencies led to the achievement.

He said criminals who have been destroying the livelihoods of Nyandarua dairy farmers should know their time is up.

Ali said a day before Nganda’s cows were stolen, three cows from the same neighbourhood were stolen and slaughtered. Two culprits were intercepted at a road block as they ferried the meat to Nairobi. Some cows had also been slaughtered at Passenga in Nyandarua central.

“We are going to root out these criminals one by one. As a government, we feel bad to see an elderly man like this weep because his cows were stolen," he said.

Ol Kalou business association chairman, Peter Thinji, who is a butcher, said all the butchers in Nyandarua, the brokers and slaughter house owners, should be registered and their activities properly monitored.

“We need to know one another well, where everyone stay and what they do," he said.

Nominated MCA Joseph Kariuki said the county will build a livestock market as one way of addressing the problem.