Four detained for 14 days over robbery of American, Briton's death

A Mombasa court has allowed police to detain four men for 14 days over robbing an American national of more than Sh300,000 and his accessories.

The four, Bernard Mbusu, Isaac Kobia, Evan Mutaki and Kelvin Njoroge are also being investigated over the death of a British national and a series of robberies across Mombasa, Kilifi, Kwale and Nairobi counties.

On Tuesday, Shanzu Chief Magistrate Antony Mwicigi allowed the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to detain the four at Kazandani Police Station to complete investigations.

The four allegedly robbed the American national of Sh345,300, a Samsung Galaxy phone, a laptop and other accessories at an apartment in Nyali, Mombasa County, where he had booked to spend a night.

Sergeant Fredrick Ochido had sought to detain the four for 15 days to conclude investigations into the robberies.

The officer told the magistrate that the four were arrested at Ideal Apartments Ukunda town in Kwale County on April 11, 2026 after committing murder and robbery with violence in Watamu, Mombasa and Kilifi counties.

“The respondents are suspected to have committed robbery with violence at Watamu Kilifi County, murder at Parklands Police Station Nairobi County and robbery with violence in Mombasa County,” said Ochido.

The American who was robbed on April 9, 2026, at 13:05 am in Mamba Village, Mombasa County, said he met a man identified as Alex who promised to help him get a place to spend the night.

The American said that he was picked up by a driver and dropped off around the Quickmart area in Nyali, where he was booked in a two-bedroomed apartment on the second floor.

He narrated that after taking a shower, he retired to bed only to be woken by six men who tortured him for hours and stole his items.

“They stole Sh14,000, Sh180,600 (1400 UDS), Sh60,400 (400 Euros) and other foreign currencies amounting to Sh12,900 (100 USD). They also stole a laptop, a cell phone, Samsung Galaxy. Later, the suspects swiped Sh206,400 (1600 USD), a Hungarian debit card holding Sh51,600 (400 UDS) and assorted personal items,” said the American in the police report.

Ochido applied to forward the suspects phones for forensic analysis in Nairobi to obtain their call data records, Mpesa statements and bank account statements to assist with investigations.

He said that he requires time to apply for the CCTV footage from the scene of the incidents and various banks’ ATMs where the respondents made withdrawals using the American ATM cards and have the same forensically processed.

Ochido told court that the complainant, an American national residing in Nairobi County, is yet to participate in an identification parade and also identify the recovered stolen items.