Police officer arrested as person of interest in Mtito Andei robbery – DCI

Police officer arrested as person of interest in Mtito Andei robbery – DCI

Detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) have arrested and detained a police officer as a person of interest in two robbery incidents that happened in Mtito Andei in Makueni County.

The DCI, in a statement released on the evening of Monday, February 17, 2025, said that the person of interest identified as Dennis Wafula Wanabisi, a police officer stationed at DCI Kibwezi, was linked to the crime that happened on July 22, 2024.

“Detectives from the Serious Crimes Unit, in collaboration with investigators from DCI Ruiru, have apprehended Dennis Wafula Wanabisi, a police officer stationed at DCI Kibwezi, in connection to a robbery with violence incident that occurred in Mtito Andei on July 22, 2024,” the statement read in part.

DCI on Mtito robbery

The DCI went ahead to state that the police officers had received distress calls about a robbery incident, and upon responding, they discovered that a gang of four robbers, dressed in jungle uniforms and armed with a pistol, had raided two nightclubs at two different shopping centers.

The gang, the DCI says, had entered the 021 nightclub, where they threatened bar attendants and customers, ordering them to surrender their belongings.

In the course of the robbery, one bar attendant was shot in the stomach and sustained serious injuries, while the robbers made off with Ksh50,000 in cash.

The gang is said to have then proceeded to Darajani Shopping Centre, where they forced their way into Seton Night Club, where they fired two shots into the air before robbing bar attendants and customers of Ksh 25,850 and two mobile phones.

Officer Wanabisi detained

Officer Wanabi, who was on Monday, February 17, 2025, arraigned at Makindu Law Courts where the police were granted 14 days to detain him to allow them to complete investigations, is said to be connected to the robbery incidents or may possess information that may lead to the arrest of more persons of interest.

“On that day, police received reports of two robberies at Yikisaya Trading Centre within Kibwezi Sub-County. Responding quickly, officers discovered that a gang of four robbers, dressed in jungle uniforms and armed with a pistol, had entered 021 CLUB. They threatened bar attendants and customers, ordering them to surrender their belongings. In the course of the robbery, one bar attendant was shot in the stomach and sustained serious injuries, while the robbers made off with Ksh 50,000 in cash,” the DCI stated.

“The gang then proceeded to Darajani Shopping Centre, where they forced their way into Seton Night Club. There, the robbers fired two shots into the air before robbing bar attendants and customers of Ksh 25,850 and two mobile phones. Preliminary investigations indicated that Officer Wanabisi is connected to or may possess information regarding the two robbery incidents.”

The firearm of the officer has since been confiscated. Empty cartridges recovered from the scenes of both incidents were sent to DCI Headquarters for ballistic examination, with analysis confirming that the cartridges were fired from Wanabisi’s firearm.