For months, farmers in Embu and Kirinyaga have been dealing with unexplained livestock losses, and now detectives say they have caught three people linked to the thefts.
The suspects are believed to be part of a stock theft syndicate that has been ferrying animals across counties under the cover of darkness.
The coordinated police operation that led to their arrest has also helped recover several stolen animals, bringing some relief to the affected farmers.
The first breakthrough came in Embu, where officers managed to arrest two men identified as Alex Mwangi and Anthony Macharia.
The two were cornered while using a Toyota Sienta, which investigators say had been the vehicle of choice for moving stolen animals.
The car was impounded after officers established it had been used in several theft cases. Detectives explained that the men operated mostly at night, taking advantage of poor visibility to transport the animals without being noticed.
With the two men in custody, the dragnet widened to Kerugoya town in Kirinyaga.
Here, detectives arrested the third suspect, a woman identified as Mercy Nyaguthi Njiru. She is accused of receiving the stolen animals and possibly arranging for their resale. A search of her property produced evidence that tied her directly to the thefts.
Among the animals found were a heifer believed to have been stolen from Kianjoma, a Friesian cow thought to have been taken from Karatina, ten goats, five kids, and a sheep.
The recovery strengthened the case against the three and confirmed the scale of the syndicate’s operations.
Police say the theft had become a major headache for livestock keepers, who depend on their animals for income and survival.
Many farmers had been forced into losses, with some struggling to raise school fees or sustain their families after losing cows, goats, or sheep. The latest arrests have therefore been welcomed as a step in protecting livelihoods and discouraging such crimes in the future.
The three suspects are now being held in custody as detectives continue piecing together more details about the network.
They are undergoing processing and will be arraigned in court to face charges. Investigators believe the syndicate could involve more people, and further arrests may be made as the probe deepens.
For farmers in the region, the police operation offers a sense of hope that the cycle of livestock theft might finally be broken.
