Kirinyaga residents decry insecurity spike after 15-member gang raids third coffee factory

A gang of over 15 people raided Mburi Coffee Factory in Gichugu Constituency, Kirinyaga County, tied two watchmen before escaping with bags of coffee of an unknown value.

Mburi Coffee Factory manager Joseph Muchiri said the establishment, which is under the Mirichi Cooperative Society, had coffee cherries that were to be sold on Wednesday.

“They broke into the society office and made away with the society laptop before escaping with bags of coffee,” Mr. Muchiri said.

Shocked night watchman Peter Chomba Mwaniki said he was attacked by the gang while in the factory compound, where he was tied up and warned to cooperate.

“We were attacked and restrained before the coffee was stolen from the factory, with our hands and mouths bound. We were untied—two of us—by our neighbour, Muriithi George, when we raised an alarm after they left,” Peter Chomba and his colleague said.

Mirichi Coffee Cooperative Society members, led by Charles Kariuki Gachoki, said they are shocked by the ongoing coffee theft incidents in the region’s factories.

“They started by stealing from Togonye Coffee Factory last month, then Gikumbo Coffee Factory, and today they have stolen from Mburi Coffee Factory. What is happening in Gichugu?” Mr. Kariuki asked.

A member of Mburi Coffee Factory, Muriithi George, who untied the two watchmen, said this is the second incident at the factory.

“Nobody was arrested when coffee was stolen in 2019. Why are watchmen being targeted and incapacitated before the theft of coffee? It suggests a deliberate strategy by the criminals to neutralize security measures,” Mr. Muriithi said.

Detectives from Gichugu sub-county visited the factory saying they have launched investigations.