40 held in hunt for pilot’s killers

• The net is closing in on culprits as police officers pursue strong leads

Police are pursuing strong leads that they believe will help them in the arrest of the killers of a Kenya Airways pilot on Uhuru Highway.

Forty people have been arrested and are helping detectives with investigations, according to Internal Security minister George Saitoti.

“I wish to assure Kenyans that we are pursuing very strong leads and will soon arrest all those implicated in this murder,” the minister told journalists in Nairobi on Monday.

“Indeed, a major operation has been conducted and so far 40 suspects have been arrested. The operation will continue until we weed out all criminals in the city,” he added.

The minister spoke just a day after relatives, friends and colleagues of Mr Martin Njuma had taken to the streets to protest over increased insecurity.

The pilot met his death on January 17 in an attack after his car stalled in Makaburini area on Uhuru Highway.

The gangsters pounced on him as he stepped out of the car, robbing him of his valuables before hitting him on the head with a blunt object. They left him for dead in a pool of blood.

Mr Njuma died as he was being taken to hospital by security officers on patrol and a group of friends who responded to his distress calls.

Crime hot spots

On Monday, Prof Saitoti met the pilot’s parents and assured them that the government was doing its best to apprehend the killers.

He said as part of the ongoing police reforms all crime hot spots in the country had been identified and targeted for security coverage.

“District security intelligence committees will be held accountable for enforcing security in their jurisdictions,” he said.

To make streets safer, the government, in collaboration with councils, was replacing all street lights that were out of order, he added.