Legacy of crime: Footballer linked to notorious Kenyan criminal shot dead
The son of Edward Maina Shimoli, a notorious criminal known as Carlos the Jackal, was shot dead mid-last week by plainclothes police officers in Nairobi County’s Industrial Area after he was cornered during a robbery.
Leone Shimoli, a popular footballer in Jericho, was cornered and shot by plainclothes police on May 22 as he tried to escape a police dragnet. Shimoli and his gang were known for causing mayhem along busy Nairobi roads, including Lusaka Road, Enterprise Road and Dunga Road.
Shimoli, who would attack fans at Camp Toyoyo Stadium in Jericho, was among three suspects whose lives were ended in cold blood by the officers who later left the scene.
Makadara police commander Judith Nyongesa said the trio – Shimoli, a bodaboda rider and another unnamed suspect – robbed members of the public of money, mobile phones and other valuables.
“The operation was carried out by Industrial Area officers led by Dvipol Makadara and Stapol Industrial Area who received information from a distraught member of the public who told them about mobile phone snatchers who have been robbing them of their phones at gunpoint for a long time,” Nyongesa told the Nairobi News.
She said they were on board a black Boxer motorcycle with registration number KMFG 753Q.
According to police reports, the gang first accosted Benard Mutua, 23, who was on his way to a job interview, and stole his mobile phone. Mutua told police he had been robbed at gunpoint and had no choice but to hand over the device. Little did the three know that the police were after them, and a chase ensued as soon as they reached Dunga Road. Police said the gunfire lasted for more than seven minutes, forcing pedestrians and motorists to take cover.
“The robbers ran out of bullets and were overpowered by the sharp-shooting police officers,” Ms Nyongesa said.
They were armed with a Beretta pistol with serial number EB_190125737. However, it did not have a magazine. Police recovered school books, a student’s card and a national identity card belonging to Paul Kingsley.
Nyongesa said the suspected robbers had no room to operate in Makadara Sub-County.
“I am working closely with Makadara DCIO Mr Martin Korongo to curb crime in the sub-county. We have managed to reduce the crime rate,” she added.
As the bodies lay at the City Mortuary on the same day of the shooting, residents in Jericho celebrated the death of a man they said had given them sleepless nights. Those who spoke to Nairobi News on condition of anonymity said Shimoli used to befriend people before stealing from them.
Like his father, Shimoli had managed to elude the police dragnet on several occasions. His father was christened Carlos the Jackal after the notorious Venezuelan terrorist who escaped from police on several occasions.
In 2018, police shot and killed Arnold Okong’o, 16, thinking he was Shimoli, however, they later retracted their initial statement, saying that Okong’o, who was also known as Randy, was a close friend of Shimoli and they used to carry out robberies together.
His father Thomas Okong’o, who is the head coach of Jericho All Stars Football Club in Nairobi, disagreed with the police that his son was involved in crime.
On the day Okong’o was killed, plainclothes police arrived as he boarded a matatu. One of the officers pulled him down before telling his friends to flee the scene. The officers then proceeded to shoot him several times.
When it comes to the history of Kenya and discussing the most dangerous criminals to have ever lived in the country, the name Edward Maina Shimoli must be mentioned. He was one of Kenya’s most cunning criminals, and for more than a decade he carried out robberies but managed to escape police.
Maina is on record as having escaped from prison four times. On some occasions he was able to bribe his way out and on others he tricked prison guards and escaped.
In 1996, with the help of others, he made a daring escape from Kamiti Maximum Prison just before he was to be hanged. He is famous for causing a scene in Uhuru Park, Nairobi County, during a shootout between himself and a dozen policemen. Maina, who also used women in his criminal activities, shot and wounded five police officers. He was finally shot dead along Kang’undo Road in Nairobi in 2007.