A man broke into the home of a Bungoma trader, robbed the family of money and blew up their car.
Police suspect a highly dangerous former GSU officer with knowledge of explosives.
The robber, who is said to be in his late 20s, broke into the home of Ginish Patel in Namachanja Estate behind Asquana House on Monday evening.
He ordered the family to lie down and threatened to kill them before robbing them of Sh30,000.
“He grabbed me by the hand and told me to save my family by giving him all the money lest we perish all,” a vividly traumatised Patel said.
“But I defied him and threatened him back with a tough battle if he went ahead to injure my family.”
During the ensuing commotion, one family member ran out of the house and alerted the neighbours.
Patel said the robber then threw an IED at their car, a Toyota Caldina parked outside the home.
Neighbours said they heard an explosion and when they came out, the man had already jumped over the back fence and escaped.
Moments later, security officers appeared at the scene. They included Bungoma county commissioner Abdi Hassan, Bungoma South deputy county commissioner Abdi Shakur and DCIO Joseph Nzioka.
The police recovered an IED and a fake pistol.
Residents have been asked to be watchful as the suspect could still be roaming around town during the curfew hours.
DCIO Joseph Nzioka vowed to bring the culprit to book. “We are pursuing the suspect using all means and we have also secured the scene, making sure that there’s no any other weapon left to hurt the family and neighbours," he said.
This is the first time that the residents have heard of a robbery involving an explosive.
The police have, however, assured residents of maximum security and asked them to share any suspicions with them.
Edited by Josephine M. Mayuya
