Daring robbers steal police car to ferry their loot

By Joseph Karimi

Kenya: Armed robberies had become daily occurrences in Nairobi in the 1970s. Robbers had taken centre stage and turned Nairobi into a gangland city. Through the 1970s, cases of armed robberies had increased necessitating President Kenyatta’s government to pass a law that prescribed the death sentence for robbery with violence. It required robbers who used violence and caused injury to their victims to be hanged.  It was the only way to curb the robberies.

As such cases escalated, drama unfolded in Westlands area on the afternoon of November 14, 1979 as robbers forced three police inspectors and their police constable driver out of a 999 car. The robbers’ car had stalled and they swiftly needed a replacement to ferry thousands of shillings they had stolen from a bank in the city centre.

The five armed robbers had burst into a bank in town wielding pistols and grabbed a till containing a trunk of  cash. They drove off towards Murang’a Road and down the road crossing Nairobi River, turning left towards Parklands. They then entered Muthithi Road heading towards the Parklands Road junction from where their getaway car stalled.

Minutes later, a robbery incident was reported to our office and my photographer and I headed towards Parklands to trace the robbers’ footsteps.

When we arrived, we found the Esperia Hotel manager who was with his friends outside the hotel giving an eyewitness account. “It was about 3.30 pm. I was outside the hotel with my friends when the drama unfolded,” he narrated.

They were walking towards Westlands. “As we reached Mpaka Road going towards Westlands, a 504 Peugeot car with five occupants drove past us. Just about then, their driver tried to change gear but it failed to engage. After a few seconds, a 999 car drove by,” he continued.

Guns drawn

The police car which had its siren on and the beacon light flickering stopped about 20 yards away from the stalled Peugeot. “Immediately the 999 car stopped, the men who we now realised were robbers came out of their car and drew their guns on the policemen inside the 999 car.

 “These daring robbers dashed towards the police car with their guns drawn. The occupants of the car, three police inspectors and their constable driver who were unarmed came out and fled as the robbers fired shots. Three shots rung out as the robbers made for the 999 car, carrying a small cashbox and left a bigger one containing coins inside their getaway car.

The police constable jumped over the hedge dropping into the Hotel Esperia compound to find Mr Luka Ochieng, an employee of the hotel busy splitting logs of wood into firewood.

  “Wapi simu?, Wapi simu,” (where is the telephone) he demanded, shouting at Ochieng. He wanted to call the nearest police station for help.  

Ochieng was not aware where the telephones were kept. His ignorance however cost him a severe beating and kicks as the policeman set upon him demanding to be directed to access the phone in haste.

“As the commotion came to a climax, we heard screams from the hotel and rushed to separate the victim from the angry constable who suspected that he was deliberately blocking his way,” the hotel manager said.

The robbers drove away in the police car with its siren blaring and beacon lamp on. They now continued with their operation getting away from the police they thought were in pursuit.

It turned out that the three police inspectors from the traffic department were being driven to some destination when the robbers struck. Therefore, when the armed robbers invaded their car, the unarmed policemen had no other alternative than to save their souls by fleeing.

The robbers drove the 999 car towards Westlands, into New Muthaiga and Peponi Road in their bid to escape. But drama would continue unfolding. As the robbers went downhill to cross the Thigithie stream, there was a sharp bend and the car lost control and overturned. The gangsters crawled out and took their till of money to the tarmac road heading towards Gachie. They were panicking and desperate to get to their destination.

 The robbers, guns in hand waited impatiently to rob a getaway vehicle from any motorist driving down the road. Tick-tock, tick-tock and the frustrated robbers paced up and down the tarmac surface with no hope in sight.

A white lady driving a Colt down the road from Gachie appeared, unaware of the lurking danger. One of the robbers stood at the middle of the road with his pistol in hand flagging the lady to slow down. The lady stopped a few yards away and as she stopped the engine, the robbers ordered her out and made off with her car towards Gachie. It was now 4 pm.

 We learned the 999 police car had overturned ahead and we made it there.

Kenya’s most dreaded cop Patrick Shaw was already at the scene. He flashed out portraits of suspects to eye witnesses and within a short while, some of them had been identified. Patrick told me he had identified three of the robbers and he knew where to get them. The two vehicles damaged in the escape were towed to Parklands Police Station.

 We were held at bay by Patrick who ordered all eye witnesses to record statements. After about an hour, I was back at my desk trying to analyse the humorous jigsaw puzzle.

 Two days later, I met the suspects in Court No. 1, of Senior Resident Magistrate Mr Sachdeva. They pleaded “not guilty” but were eventually sent to jail for several counts of robbery including “robbing police officers” of a 999 police car.