Nairobi News

More than Sh200,000 was stolen from a petrol station that had been gifted to former President Mwai Kibaki, barely three days after it was opened.

The station, which is operated by the National Oil Corporation after the former president rejected the offer is located just outside Nyeri town. It was broken into at around 4 am on Tuesday by three unknown men who made away with the loot in what police said was most likely an inside job.

“From the information we have gathered, we highly suspect there was a collusion,” said Ms Eunice Kihiko, the Nyeri County police commander who visited the scene.

The three men are reported to have driven into the petrol station in a saloon car and tied up a guard and two other staff members who were manning it. The registration number of the car is yet to be known.

UNARMED GANG

They are said to have used a crowbar to force their way into the manager’s office where they broke into a safe that contained the money. The safe was built into the office’s concrete floor and only few people knew its exact location.

According to police, the three staff members who were on duty said the robbers were not armed except for the crowbar they used to break into the office.

“They told us that the gang was not armed,” added the county police boss.

The three workers were taken away by Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officers and are being held for further questioning.

Editor’s Note: The story suggested that the petrol station belongs to former president Mwai Kibaki. The National Oil Corporation has, however, clairified that Mr Kibaki turned down the offer to develop the station. The error has been corrected.