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Police in Athi River, Machakos County, arrested a man on Sunday night and recovered four goats after intercepting a suspected livestock theft operation. A motor vehicle believed to have been used in the crime was also impounded.
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According to authorities, the arrested man was the driver of the vehicle. Two other suspects managed to escape during the raid, which took place in the Karunga area of Kinanie, Athi River subcounty.
The incident was reported at Athi River Police Station as a case of stock theft, with the official report filed at 6:30 a.m. Monday.
Police said they responded after a resident of Karunga reported that unknown individuals had stolen 22 goats from his homestead. While on patrol in the Nyaani area, officers came across a vehicle into which the suspects were loading the stolen animals. At the time, three goats and one sheep had already been placed inside.
“The driver was arrested and taken to Kinanie police post, while two others fled the scene,” the police report noted. The recovered animals are being held as exhibits.
The incident comes amid rising cases of livestock theft in Machakos, which has forced some residents—particularly men in Katani, Kinanie, and Lukenya—to spend nights outdoors guarding their animals.
“Stock theft syndicates are destroying our livelihoods. We now sleep outside to watch over our livestock, while women and children remain in the houses,” a resident lamented.
Seventy-eight-year-old widow Wanza Kioko from Kinanie said she was left impoverished after losing more than 60 goats, sheep, and cattle to thieves in 2023.
Residents are now calling on authorities to intensify efforts to stamp out the rampant stock theft.
