Two suspects were shot dead by police in a botched robbery in Mathare slums, Nairobi.
The police said the two
had taken advantage of a clash between groups that was ongoing along Outer Ring
Road for the better part of the Monday afternoon to attack and rob pedestrians along
Juja Road.
Police said they recovered a
knife from the slain men.
Stolen property were also
recovered from the slain men, police said.
Another accomplice managed to
escape, police said.
According to the police, the men had been attacking and robbing
pedestrians and had subdued one man as he walked from a mosque and started to
rob him of his valuables and cash in the 5 pm incident.
An alarm was raised, alerting police on patrol, who responded by shooting and killing two of them.
Police said a third suspect managed to escape on foot into the
slum.
The victim said he lost his mobile phone in the attack. The mobile
phone was later found in the pocket of one of the slain men and handed over to
the owner.
The bodies were moved to the mortuary pending autopsy.
In the meantime, police battled groups that clashed on Outer Ring
Road near Kariobangi for the better part of the day on Monday.
The unruly crowds barricaded the
road, blocking traffic along the busy route linking Thika Road and the Eastern
Bypass.
The clashes mainly occurred between Allsops and the Kariobangi
Roundabout, spreading to the Riverside area as police tried to contain the
situation.
Motorists were urged to avoid the Outer Ring Road and take alternative
routes, such as Jogoo Road and the Easter Bypass, while the authorities worked
to quell the situation.
The rivalry has been simmering for
at least one week now, according to local reports.
On Monday, one of the groups was demanding the removal of police officers
from Huruma and Kariobangj police stations for failing to respond and protect
them from goons last Thursday in the area.
The goons crossed from Kiamaiko
to Kariobangi, where they attacked premises, robbing occupants of property and
cash.
On Thursday, July 24, afternoon, tensions had remained high along
the key highway, with more anti-riot police being deployed to contain the
situation.
According to witnesses, the unrest stemmed from an incident in
which a suspected thief was killed by a mob in the Kiamaiko area.
This prompted chaos in the area. The chaos broke out on Monday
prompting anti-riot forces to respond with tear gas canisters.
Elsewhere, acting on a tip-off, police officers from Kasagam Police
Station in Kisumu raided a suspected gang hideout along the banks of the Auji
River, near Daraja Mbili area in Manyatta 'B' Sub-Location and arrested five
suspects.
The men are believed to have been involved in various crimes in
the Nyamasaria area.
The officers also recovered a
Honda motorcycle, three pangas, one knife, and a toy gun.
Police say there has been a slight rise in crime in urban areas amid efforts to address the menace.
