How Women are Helping Gangs Target Motorists on Kenyan Highways
A lorry carrying gypsum worth millions of shillings was hijacked near Ikanga on 9 April after armed robbers used a woman to force the driver to stop, police said.
According to investigators, the woman stepped onto the road, causing the driver to swerve. Five armed men then emerged from nearby bushes, overpowered the driver and his co-driver, and seized the lorry.
The victims were later abandoned while the gang escaped with the vehicle and its cargo. Police later arrested six suspects, including the woman, and recovered a number plate linked to the stolen lorry.
The robbery is one of several recent attacks on Kenya’s major highways, particularly along the Nairobi–Mombasa Highway. Detectives say criminal groups are increasingly using women as decoys to stop vehicles before carrying out robberies.
The women are often well dressed or appear to be in distress, encouraging drivers to stop before accomplices emerge from hiding. A medical doctor narrowly avoided a similar attack near Makindu a few weeks earlier.
A woman signalled for him to stop, but armed men fled when police patrol officers arrived at the scene. Investigators say this method has become a common feature of recent highway robberies.
Police say the gangs are also using other tactics to target motorists. Some suspects pose as police officers and set up illegal roadblocks, while others scatter spikes across roads to puncture tyres.
Criminals have also staged minor road accidents or pretended to be stranded travellers to persuade drivers to stop. Most attacks take place at night or in the early hours of the morning, when police patrols are less frequent.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has increased operations to disrupt the criminal networks. Specialised units, including the Crime Research and Intelligence Bureau and the Operation Action Team, have been deployed to investigate the robberies.
DCI Director Mohamed Amin said intelligence-led investigations, supported by forensic techniques such as mobile phone triangulation, have resulted in several arrests and the recovery of stolen property. On 27 June, police arrested eight suspects believed to belong to a 15-member criminal syndicate.
The arrests were made in Nakuru, Mai Mahiu, Kipkelion and Londiani following a series of robberies targeting courier companies and transporters carrying goods.
The recent attacks show that organised criminal groups continue to adapt their methods to target motorists and commercial transport. Police investigations are continuing as authorities work to identify and arrest other members of the gangs.
