Police in Nairobi have arrested eight suspected members of a gang blamed for violent robberies in Kasarani and picked up a man detectives link to a syndicate that allegedly impersonated traffic officers to rob people moments after they withdrew cash from banks.

The arrests, announced on Thursday, come as residents in several parts of the capital complain of a rise in street muggings and gang attacks.

Eight held in Mirema Springs

The National Police Service said officers from Kasarani Sub-County carried out an intelligence-led operation in Mirema Springs on Wednesday, October 28, after receiving numerous reports of gang attacks in the area.

According to police, the eight suspects belong to a network whose members allegedly use crude weapons to injure and rob residents. A haul of crude weapons was recovered during the raid and booked as exhibits at Kasarani Police Station, where the suspects are being held ahead of arraignment.

Police said the operation was part of a wider push to dismantle criminal networks in the city, insisting that organised gangs would not be tolerated anywhere in the country.

Robbers 'in uniform'

In a separate case, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said it had arrested a suspect in Embakasi Village who is linked to a string of robberies targeting bank customers.

Detectives say the gang's method was to pose as traffic police officers, using the authority of the uniform to stop victims shortly after they left banks with cash. Through intelligence gathering and forensic analysis, investigators said they identified four main suspects.

The man now in custody had, according to the DCI, been arrested in April 2026 over similar incidents before being released on bond in July. He is being processed ahead of arraignment as detectives pursue his alleged accomplices, who remain at large.

  • Police urge members of the public to ask for identification when stopped by people claiming to be officers, and to report suspicious roadside stops.

DP's aide robbed of Sh3.7 million equipment

Separately, police are investigating the robbery of a civil servant attached to the Office of the Deputy President's communication department, who lost equipment valued at about Sh3.7 million in Nyayo Highrise Estate.

According to the police report, two young men confronted him at about 5.30am on Wednesday as he walked from his house to an official vehicle waiting about 50 metres away to take him to join Deputy President Kithure Kindiki's tour of Kiambu.

The attackers fled with a laptop, four cameras and their lenses, personal items and Sh1,600 in cash. Officers pursued them towards Kibera, where they are believed to have escaped. No arrests or recoveries had been made by Thursday morning, and police warned the public against buying the stolen government equipment.

All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.

Photos: Kahawatungu (file); Tmaokisa / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.