By Brian Okoth
Police in Nakuru, a county in Kenya’s Rift Valley region, have launched a hunt for a gang that allegedly robbed local radio station presenters on Thursday night.
The two presenters of Mwinjoyo FM in Bahati Sub-County were live on air, when three armed men wearing hooded sweaters and face masks stormed the studio and ordered them to lie down.
The suspects, who had an AK-47 rifle, also ordered that the station’s frequency be switched off.
The incident was captured on Mwinjoyo FM’s Facebook Live broadcast for three minutes.
Upon realising that their actions were being beamed to hundreds of followers, the suspects took the presenters’ mobile phones and deactivated the live broadcast.
The suspects reportedly stole the presenters’ mobile phones and the FM station’s electronics.
Nakuru East's Directorate of Criminal Investigations Officer (DCIO) George Momanyi told TRT Afrika that an investigation into the incident had commenced.
The two gospel presenters, Robert Kiarie and Esther Wanjiru, said they were shocked by the incident, as they “never expected” robbers to storm into a live broadcast station.
“We were bidding goodbye to our listeners, when the armed robbers walked in wielding a firearm and machetes. The sight of masked men with weapons terrified me. I never expected to see robbers in a radio studio,” Kiarie told TRT Afrika on Saturday after recording a statement with police.
He said he lost his phone and money to the robbers, who “kicked” him on the waist.
His co-presenter, Esther Wanjiru, said besides losing her valuables, the suspects also ordered her and Kiarie to transfer cash using mobile money service.
“I have never seen such a thing in my life,” she said.
Nakuru, a major town that acquired city status recently, is located 160 kilometres northwest of the capital, Nairobi.
