A ruthless livestock theft syndicate that has tormented farmers across four central Kenya counties has been busted in a high-stakes sting operation. Detectives, acting on weeks of painstaking intelligence, swooped down on Kagio and Mwea towns in Kirinyaga County, arresting eight suspects believed to be the brains and muscle behind a multi-million-shilling livestock racket.
For months, villagers in Kirinyaga, Embu, Nyeri, and Murang’a have watched helplessly as their herds vanished overnight. What looked like random raids, investigators now reveal, was in fact the work of an organized criminal network — complete with thieves, transporters, butchers, and crooked buyers.
The suspects — Patrick Wanjohi Njoki, Peter Muriithi Ngari, Lukes Ochieng Olao, Simon Karagu Murigi, Anthony Mutugi, Daniel Kinyua Wangari, Samuel Gitonga Miano, and Cecilia Wanja Njogu — were cornered just as they were allegedly planning their next strike. Njogu, well known in Mwea’s livestock market, is accused of being a key buyer who provided the thieves with a ready outlet for stolen cattle.
Detectives say the group operated with military precision: stolen animals would be quickly moved under the cover of darkness, slaughtered in bush abattoirs or “safe” butcheries, and sold to unsuspecting traders and consumers. By the time victims raised the alarm, the trail had already gone cold.
But this time, forensic surveillance, hidden trackers, and insider intelligence tightened the noose. “We have been following them quietly, studying their networks, and today the ring has been broken,” a senior investigator told SIAYA TODAY.
Livestock theft in the region has long been more than an economic crime — it is a social crisis. Families lose not just their wealth but also the security of school fees, dowries, and farming capital. Police sources estimate the syndicate has siphoned millions of shillings’ worth of animals in the past year alone.
The suspects remain in custody and are set to be arraigned in court. Authorities say more arrests could follow as they trace financiers, rogue traders, and butcheries linked to the cartel.
The National Police Service, in a terse statement, vowed to continue dismantling organized criminal networks:
“This operation is proof that livestock theft is no longer treated as petty crime. We are closing in on every player — from the thief in the night to the butcher selling stolen meat in broad daylight.”
For farmers in central Kenya, the hope is that this takedown marks a turning point in a scourge that has long left them impoverished and terrified.
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