DCI Warns Transit Vehicle Drivers Of Using Some Roads After Armed Highway Ambush Has Left Many Dead And Vehicles Stolen

DCI Warns Transit Vehicle Drivers After Armed Highway Ambush Near Mtito Andei

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has issued a warning to drivers transporting transit vehicles across Kenya following a violent attempted carjacking along the Mombasa–Kampala highway that exposed a growing tactic being used by organised highway criminals.

The incident occurred on Tuesday, May 6, near the Mutomo area in Mtito Andei, when a driver ferrying a Subaru Impreza from Mombasa to Uganda was ambushed by armed suspects posing as stranded civilians in need of help.

According to investigators, the attackers carefully staged the trap to exploit the driver’s sympathy.

A motorcycle carrying two passengers suddenly emerged from a nearby thicket and blocked the road. One of the suspects pretended to be disabled and appeared to rely on crutches, while the others acted as concerned helpers desperately seeking assistance.

Believing it was a genuine emergency, the driver stopped.

Within seconds, the situation turned violent.

One of the suspects reportedly pulled out a firearm and threatened the driver while the gang attempted to forcefully take control of the vehicle. A struggle broke out inside the car as the driver resisted the hijacking attempt.

In a dramatic twist, the firearm discharged during the confrontation, fatally wounding the same suspect who had posed as a disabled victim.

The remaining attackers fled the scene on the motorcycle, abandoning both their accomplice and the injured driver.

Police officers responding to the incident rushed the driver to Kambu Hospital for treatment before later discharging him. The deceased suspect’s body was moved to the hospital mortuary as detectives launched investigations to identify and track down the two fugitives.

The DCI says the attack reflects a dangerous shift in highway robbery tactics, where criminals now disguise themselves as vulnerable road users to manipulate unsuspecting motorists into stopping.

Authorities are now urging transit vehicle drivers to avoid stopping for strangers along isolated stretches of highway, even in situations that appear genuine. Drivers have instead been advised to contact police or emergency services if they encounter suspicious roadside incidents.

Investigators also warned that transit vehicles have increasingly become targets because they are often driven long distances, sometimes by lone drivers unfamiliar with certain routes and operating under pressure to deliver vehicles quickly across borders.

The Mombasa–Nairobi–Uganda transit corridor remains one of East Africa’s busiest trade and vehicle transport routes, making it attractive to criminal gangs seeking high-value targets.

Security agencies are now intensifying patrols and intelligence operations along major highways as they pursue the escaped suspects behind the Mtito Andei ambush..
https://www.maatribune.co.ke/2026/05/dci-warns-transit-vehicle-drivers-after.html