Police recover 101 sheep stolen in Northlands raid
Individuals who invaded part of the Kenyatta family-owned Northlands City and stole livestock on March 27, 2023. The invaders forced their way into Northlands through a fence in the Kamakis area on the Eastern Bypass.
Some 101 sheep stolen from Northlands Farm, which belongs to the Kenyatta family, have been recovered, either voluntarily or through crackdowns.
The farm’s security manager Patrick Masinde and Kiambu County police boss Perminus Kioi gave this update on Saturday, saying the recovery included nine animals traced to a private home in Juja sub-county.
A raid on the farm came on March 27 as the opposition's Azimio coalition held countrywide protests to push the government to lower the cost of living and stop selection of electoral commissioners, among other demands.
In the well-coordinated raid that followed public utterances by some Kenya Kwanza politicians, inciting invasions on the Kenyatta properties, hundreds of hired hooligans arrived at the farm in lorries, armed with power saws, axes and machetes.
They overwhelmed the private guards on the farm and proceeded to cut down trees, steal sheep and demarcate the land to allocate themselves plots, with some even building structures. The raiders also torched part of the 51,000 acres.
Mr Masinde said the police notified them of the recovery and asked them to go to the scene to identify the animals. He said he led a team to the Mugutha police patrol base in Juja and positively identified the sheep through special marks on their ears.
"We are happy so far. Of the estimated 1,500 that were stolen, we have recovered 101 and are optimistic that the numbers will keep going up," he said.
Mr Kioi said the raid that recovered the nine sheep followed a tipoff from members of the public.
"We were called anonymously and after we arrived at the homestead, we found the animals feasting on green grass. We called the farm managers and once they arrived, they said the animals belonged to them," he said.
Mr Kioi added that investigations indicated the home belongs to a realtor living abroad.
"We are after the people who have been attending to these animals. They escaped but we know them and are after them. The owner will also be contacted. This is a global village - we have every means to have him respond to this find in his home," Mr Kioi said.
The first recovery was reported on April 13 when police said 18 sheep were returned to the farm by people — some believed to be aides attached to two Nairobi politicians — driving unmarked cars and dropping them near the farm.
Five others were found abandoned in Dandora police station, where enquiries led to security managers at the farm identifying them through special marks and herding them back to the farm.
Mr Masinde said the sheep look emaciated due to poor husbandry “since these are no traditional breeds that feed anyhow”.
He said “it should be well noted that there are consequences of stealing” and that thefts cannot go unpunished”.
“We urge all holding onto the livestock to return them peacefully,” he said.
On April 3, elderly women posing as Mau Mau remnants uttered a public curse on the raiders, while inIchaweri village, where the Kenyatta family has a home.
The promised “untoward suffering to those who dared disturb a national former first lady and a widow to boot”.
They advised those who took the sheep to voluntarily return them and perform cleansing rituals to break the curse.
On April 10, Kiama Kia Ma elders, led by Mr Rigami Ciombou, threatened to curse all who dared disrespect the Kenyatta family.
“We want the bipartisan talks that are being mooted to spare a session to discuss such an act of aggression to a family that carries immense historical importance in the community and the country at large,” he said.
Mr Masinde said he suspected that the publication of photos on local media, showing raiders carrying or herding away the sheep from the farm, and perhaps the threat of curses, prompted those who were captured to return them for fear of arrest.
"We also thank the National Police Service for the good efforts employed in helping us recover these [animals]," he said
The security manager further said that “if all those holding onto our stock want to deliver them back, we assure we will not press charges against them since our interest is only having what is rightfully ours back in our possession”.
On the day of the raid, area police did not respond to numerous distress calls from security managers and only showed up 24 hours later to assess the damage inflicted.
One person who was captured in the raid claimed the attackers could not have stolen 1,500 sheep.
“The sheep that were stolen were not as many as reported. 1,500 is not an ordinary figure. The area would have suffered a road blockade as we herded them away,” he said, placing the number of stolen animals at about 100.
