A motorcycle dealer and his employee were seriously wounded after three armed robbers raided their shop in Kitale spraying them with bullets before fleeing off with an undisclosed amount of money.
The gang who rode on a motorbike also shot at a bodaboda operator who raised an alarm shouting 'thieves' as they fled off from the crime scene adjacent to the Kitale branch Cooperative Bank of Kenya, along Kenyatta Street in the incident that occurred at around 5: 10PM.
The Suam Fancy Wear shop proprietor sustained serious head and chest wounds, while the bodaboda operator was shot in the arm but managed to flee to safety.
All the injured were rushed to Moi Teaching and Referral hospital for treatment soon as police officers arrived at the scene of the crime.
Kwanza OCPD James Odera said investigations have already been launched into the serious crime, even as police comb off the area to gather more detail that could lead to the arrest of the suspects.
Eyewitnesses said the three armed bandits wore helmets and long jackets, which they used to hide their guns as they disguised as by passers when they alighted from the motorbike.
"It happened in a split second. We heard gunshots and saw three armed people wearing helmets jump onto a get-away motorbike before speeding off. They also shot at another person along the lane who screamed after seeing them attack the shop," a man who witnessed the incident said.
Curious onlookers milled around the crime scene as they tried to establish what had transpired, with residents lamenting over wanton insecurity in the area.
"Crime has really escalated in Kitale in the recent past, and the perpetrators seem to be so organized that they commit such attacks with utmost precision. It is our appeal that the government intensifies security through increased patrols and surveillance," called out Peter Juma, an onlooker among the crowd.
Police have called on members of the public to volunteer information that would help nab the culprits, even as they pledged to treat such information with the utmost confidentiality.
Area MP Ferdinand Wanyonyi strongly condemned the incident and called on security agencies to beef up security, especially during this Christmas festivities, when crime levels tend to surge as thieves target unsuspecting people.
Wanyonyi further called on security officers to leave no stone unturned in pursuing the culprits, adding that they ought to be arrested to face serious charges of robbery with violence among other counts.
"We want the police to up their intelligence and bring these culprits to book. They should be arrested and dealt a blow to serve as an example to others who think that they can reap where they never sowed," said Wanyonyi, who spoke to the Standard on the phone.
