A twenty-year-old man has been arrested in Maralal, Samburu County, following a series of violent robbery incidents in the area.
According to a statement by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations on Thursday, September 18, acting on intelligence, Samburu detectives tracked down Lemarkele, who had been terrorizing Maralal town and its surroundings with violent robberies.
Armed with an AK-47 rifle and accompanied by an accomplice who remains at large, the suspect had stormed a local shop in Maralal, initially posing as an ordinary customer.
The situation quickly turned deadly when the duo drew firearms, aiming them directly at the cashier.
In a moment of courage, the cashier managed to push the weapon away, but not before Lemarkele fired a shot that grazed her left breast, inflicting a painful soft tissue injury.
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The injured cashier was immediately rushed to Samburu County Referral Hospital, where she received treatment and was later discharged in stable condition.
The assailants made off with Sh50,000 during the incident.
Following the robbery, a comprehensive manhunt was launched. Through diligent detective work and intelligence leads, investigators tracked down Lemarkele from his hideout, leading to his successful arrest.
Upon his capture, detectives uncovered incriminating evidence, including a green jungle hat, smoke jacket, jungle green jacket, and jungle belt.
Lemarkele is currently in custody, undergoing processing, and awaiting his day in court.
Meanwhile, detectives continue pursuing his remaining accomplice, determined to bring all those involved in the robbery spree to justice.
Violent robberies involving firearms have become rampant, even as the National Police confirmed having received a total of 57 illegal guns from civilians in recent voluntary surrender operations in the past four days.
On September 15, 2025, five residents from Sagat, Kasemoi, and Marich Sub-Locations of Tot Division in Kerio Valley Sub-County voluntarily surrendered illegal firearms to security agencies as part of an ongoing disarmament exercise.
The cache included three AK-47 rifles with empty magazines, one AK-47 rifle with a magazine containing eight rounds of ammunition, and another AK-47 rifle with a magazine containing five rounds of ammunition.
Just days later, security agencies in Kerio Valley, Elgeyo Marakwet County, received an additional ten illegal firearms, rounds of ammunition, and a cleaning kit, all voluntarily surrendered by members of the public.
In West Pokot County, security officers received another illegal firearm following its voluntary surrender by a resident. The weapon, an AK-47 rifle with a magazine containing five rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, was surrendered in Rorok Village, Kositot Sub-Location of Cheptulel Location.
The most significant surrender occurred on September 18, when security agencies in Tot, Elgeyo Marakwet County, received 41 illegally-held firearms and associated ammunition, voluntarily surrendered by residents.
“National Police Service commends the individuals for heeding the call to surrender illegal weapons and urges others still in possession of such arms to follow suit,” NPS stated.
