Several passengers were injured after a gang hijacked a bus and tried to drive it away for a robbery mission in Nairobi’s Buruburu area.
The bus overturned and landed on its left side in the drama as police chased it.
Two of the suspects were shot dead shortly after the bus had overturned within Buruburu shopping centre.
The bus had picked about 50 passengers from the city centre headed for Buruburu when five of them turned out to be thugs.
Witnesses told the police on reaching in Hamza area, the gang took control of the bus with the driver ordered to the back seats. The gang then drove through the shopping centre with the shocked passengers screaming. Police said the incident happened Saturday midnight.
A bodaboda ride who saw the bus being driven recklessly and passengers screaming alerted police who were on patrol in the area.
According to the passengers, the driver who was among the gunmen panicked and lost control of the bus as it approached Mumias Road.
“The bus overturned landing on its left side. The gang escaped from the bus as the other passengers struggled to get out,” said a passenger.
Police chased the gang members and managed to kill two and seized two homemade pistols while three others managed to escape on foot.
Some of the passengers had by then managed to come out of the bus and left. One who had serious injuries was rushed to Mama Lucy Hospital was admitted with serious injuries.
The incident comes in the wake of attempts to address such robbery missions.
Nairobi police boss Philip Ndolo urged matatu crews in the city to always take measures to address such incidents which have been on the decline in the past months.“We will do our part and urge them to do theirs. Let them also take steps to ensure the safety of their clients,” he said.
The measures include the screening of the passengers before they board the matatus.
Some of the operators of the vehicles have also been constructing barriers between the drivers and passengers as part of efforts to address the menace.
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