Residents thwart bid to steal coffee

An Administration Police officer and a group of farmers keep vigil of coffee parchment outside Gura factory in Othaya on February 28, 2016. Unknown people attempted to steal 166 bags of the crop from the factory. PHOTO | JOSEPH KANYI | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • An armed gang on Sunday tried to steal more than 166 bags of coffee in Nyeri.
  • The 20-man gang struck at Gura factory at 1am on Sunday morning and tied up five guards manning the premises.
  • Othaya police arrived at the Gura factory moments before the thugs could pack the coffee into a waiting lorry.

An armed gang on Sunday tried to steal more than 166 bags of coffee in Nyeri amid fears that the spate of thefts that hit factories in the central region last year are now back.

The 20-man gang struck at Gura factory at 1am on Sunday morning and tied up five guards manning the premises.

According to Mr David Kameri, a clerk at the factory, the thugs started breaking into the store where the coffee parchment was stored.

The robbers even had time to pack the coffee into 166 gunny bags and carry them to the factory gate where a lorry was to pick the loot. But residents raised the alarm and called the police.

Othaya police arrived at the Gura factory moments before the thugs could pack the coffee into a waiting lorry.

“Two were armed with guns while the others had metal bars, which they used to break the padlock,” said Mr Kameri.
The area deputy OCPD Jephason Ali said that the lorry used in the attempted theft did not have a number plate.

But he said that the lorry sped off together with the robbers after police started arriving. They abandoned the coffee at the entrance of the factory.

FIVE GUARDS INJURED

During the incident, one of the five guards sustained injuries in the head, back and both legs. Mr Ali said that the five guards are helping them with investigations.

All the coffee parchment from Gura coffee factory were transferred to the neighbouring Gatuyaini Coffee mill where police have promised to offer additional security as investigations continue.
And despite all factories being asked to request for additional security when they receive coffee, police said that Gura factory management had not requested for security.
He said they have launched investigations to find out if the attempted robbery was an inside job.

“The management had not called us to request for additional security. We only received a call from managers informing us that the factory has been attacked by robbers,” said the OCPD.

This is the second robbery which has hit Nyeri this year and there are fears that the gangs that targeted the factories in 2015 are back.

More than 300 bags of coffee worth over Sh300m were stolen in 2015, with Nyeri and Murang’a being the worst hit counties.

In December 2015 Gachirago Factory in Murang’a lost more than 30 bags of coffee worth over Sh700,000. Another 28 bags were stolen from Wanjengi Factory and Ndima-ini.