Business owners in Busia County faced a major setback after thieves robbed six businesses by digging a hole in one of the adjacent shops.
Reports indicate that the thieves made away with valuable electronics as well as cash on Saturday night, April 17.
According to residents, the thieves were unable to gain access through the front doors hence resorted to digging a hole in one of the hardware shops adjacent to the businesses. The thieves seized the opportunity after a power blackout within the town was caused by heavy rainfall.
"One shop owner said that more than Ksh200,000 was stolen along with electronics. Other shop owners also suffered huge losses," one of the residents told NTV.
The affected shop owners wondered why police officers on patrol had failed to detect and stop the robbery yet they are always doing rounds in the town.
"We wonder where the police were when the thieves carried out the heist. We appeal to them to look into this matter and also protect our residents especially during curfew hours," one shop owner stated.
The incident mirrors another theft in Kiambu County where traders woke up to find their businesses broken into and robbed.
Business owners stated that thieves had taken advantage of the new curfew hours to rob the shops.
The residents blamed the police officers for slacking on the job, with many suspecting that they could be working in cahoots with the thieves to rob businesses.
Data from the Economic Survey 2020 released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) revealed that robbery cases rose by an 8.6 percent margin during the first quarter of the Covid-19 pandemic period.
According to the report, Nairobi, Kiambu, Meru, Nakuru, Mombasa, Kisii, Machakos and Murang'a were the most afflicted regions of criminal cases reported in police stations.
