A daring gang of over 15 individuals staged a violent night raid at Mburi Coffee Factory in Gichugu Constituency, making away with an undisclosed amount of coffee and a laptop, in the latest wave of thefts targeting the region’s coffee factories.
According to the factory manager, Joseph Muchiri, the criminals stormed the facility in the dead of night, overpowering and tying up two watchmen before breaking into the society office and looting coffee that was scheduled 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. The factory is managed under the Mirichi Cooperative Society.
One of the night watchmen, Peter Chomba Mwaniki, recounted the harrowing experience.
“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,” he said.
This latest incident is part of a disturbing trend, with similar attacks reported at Togonye and Gikumbo Coffee Factories in recent weeks. Local farmers and society members are alarmed.
“They started by stealing from Togonye Coffee Factory last month, then Gikumbo, and today Mburi. What is happening in Gichugu?” posed Charles Kariuki Gachoki, a concerned member of the Mirichi Cooperative Society.
Neighbour and fellow member Muriithi George, who rescued the tied-up watchmen, revealed that this is not the first time Mburi Factory has been targeted.
“Nobody was arrested when coffee was stolen in 2019. Why are watchmen being targeted and incapacitated before every theft? It suggests a deliberate strategy by the criminals to neutralize security,” he observed.
Detectives from Gichugu Sub-County have visited the scene and confirmed that investigations into the incident are underway.
As coffee farmers reel from losses, many are now demanding urgent security interventions from local authorities to protect one of the region’s most valuable cash crops.
Five Miners Trapped After Collapse At World’s Largest Underground Copper Mine In Chile
