A four-man armed gang sparked a police manhunt after carrying out a daring late-night robbery at a restaurant along General Mathenge Road in Nairobi’s upmarket Westlands neighbourhood.
The incident, which unfolded in under a minute, has heightened concerns over insecurity in one of the capital’s busiest entertainment and business hubs.
The suspects struck on Saturday, 4 July 2026, at approximately 10:40pm, when two of them entered the eatery under the guise of customers before suddenly drawing pistols.
Ordering diners and staff to surrender their valuables, the gunmen made off with seven mobile phones and one HP laptop.
The other two suspects waited outside on two motorcycles, ready for a quick escape toward the Parklands area.
As they fled, the gang fired two shots into the air, leaving terrified patrons scrambling for cover.
Police later recovered a spent 9mm cartridge at the scene, confirming the use of live ammunition.
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Detectives from the Kasarani Sub-County Criminal Investigations Office (SCCIO) have taken over the case and say they are pursuing the suspects with “good leads.”
Some of the stolen phones have already been tracked to the Kariobangi area, as investigators work to identify and arrest those behind the attack.
The incident was captured on the restaurant’s CCTV, with footage showing masked men brandishing pistols.
The thugs ordered patrons to hand over their phones, and speeding off on boda-bodas after firing warning shots.
The video has since circulated widely online, fueling public anger and anxiety.
Rising Insecurity
Resident and business owners in Westlands and Parklands have expressed growing alarm over a spate of similar armed robberies targeting eateries in recent months.
In June alone, armed motorbike-riding thugs stormed Shanus Restaurant and Nazir Pan House, robbing customers at gunpoint in near-identical modus operandi.
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Despite the repeated attacks, police have yet to make any arrests in the recent wave of restaurant robberies, prompting calls for a more visible security presence and faster response times in the area.
Police are appealing to the public for information that could lead to the arrest of the suspects, even as they review CCTV footage and trace stolen devices.
For now, many diners in Westlands say they are reconsidering late-night outings, fearing they could be the next targets in Nairobi’s escalating restaurant robbery crisis.