A police inspector was on Monday attacked and robbed of his pistol in Kingeero, Kiambu County, a police source confirmed to Kenyans.co.ke.
The inspector, whose name was not immediately revealed, is in charge of Mwimuto Police Station in Kiambu County.
According to police reports, the inspector was accosted by a gang of three who were also armed and made away with his Jericho pistol and around 15 bullets.
The officer was attacked at a colleague's gate when he went to discuss an ongoing investigation when the incident happened.
As he was waiting for the gate to be opened, the trio emerged, taking his service firearm and bullets.
They also stole cash and the phone that the officer had, before disappearing into the cover of darkness.
The incident happened at around 1 a.m. on Monday morning, according to police records.
Police have launched a manhunt to apprehend the criminals and recover the firearm.
Crime rates have gone up in the country and tough economic times and rising unemployment push young people into despair.
Cases of muggings and stabbings in major urban centres have been on the rise, with some Kenyans blaming the security forces for laxity.
On Saturday, a gunman suspected to be a foreigner attacked National Security Advisor Monica Juma's bodyguards, leading to his death after the officers drawn from the military police opened fire.
Kenyans over the past months have been warned of a phone snatching gang operating in Nairobi and other urban centres, with some armed with knives and guns.
