Detectives based in Voi have arrested three suspects believed to be behind a string of violent highway robberies along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway.
In a statement on Wednesday, June 4, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) said the arrests follow an attack on April 9, 2025, in which a lorry transporting gypsum was hijacked and its occupants abducted.
The DCI said the three suspects, David Karanja, Juma Jumamosi, and Josephine Nthamba Mutie, were arrested in a targeted operation following the robbery incident.
“On that fateful day, an Isuzu FRR truck with registration number KDC 020G was transporting gypsum from Nairobi to Mombasa. As the vehicle approached Ikanga area, one of the suspects dashed out from a nearby thicket, attempting to cross the road.
"In a split-second decision to avoid collision, the driver swerved, causing the truck to veer off the road and its engine to stall,” the statement explained.
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The stalled truck provided the attackers with an opportunity to pounce; a gang of about five men reportedly emerged from nearby bushes and forced their way into the vehicle.
“Seizing this opportunity, a group of about five emerged from the bushes, forcefully entering the vehicle with one brandishing a pistol. The driver and his co-driver were handcuffed and bundled behind the seats.
"One of the robbers took the wheel, steering the lorry towards Mombasa. The two victims were unceremoniously dropped off about 300 meters away as the criminals vanished with the truck,” DCI added.
Following the robbery, detectives launched investigations which led to the arrest of Karanja and Jumamosi in Taveta.
Their arrest was based on forensic evidence and intelligence gathered from the scene and surrounding areas.
“Following this incident, detectives launched an investigation, and through meticulous forensic analysis, two of the suspects, Karanja and Jumamosi, were trailed and arrested at a hideout in Taveta.
"During their apprehension, Jumamosi led officers to his rented house in Bahati area of Taveta sub-county, where a number plate KDC 020G belonging to the stolen lorry was recovered, alongside a T-shaped screwdriver and two spanners,” the DCI said.
The two suspects were arraigned before the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Voi on May 19, 2025, where investigators were granted 14 more days to detain them as they continue with the probe.
The manhunt for additional suspects led to the arrest of a third individual, Mutie, in Makindu on June 2, 2025.
“As the search continued, a third key suspect, Nthamba, was apprehended in Makindu on June 2, 2025. She too faced the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Voi, where detectives received an additional 14-day custodial order to complete their investigation and pursue further leads to arrest additional suspects involved in these highway robberies, as well as to recover the stolen lorry,” DCI noted.
The DCI said investigations into the broader network behind these highway attacks are still ongoing.
