Nairobi News

Police in Malindi have arrested four men after deadly weapons were found in a house they were working in in Malindi.

Police found a cache of arms including five firearms, 93 rounds of ammunition and a wildlife trophy in the house that is located in Mtangani along Ngowa road, off Malindi-Lamu road.

But the ownership of the house remains in contention.

Malindi police boss Matawa Muchangi said police working on intelligence raided a house belonging to two Italian investors Franco Fantani and Giovanni Ferliga along Ngowa road at Mtangani on Sunday night.

KEY FIGURE IN NASA

But the arrested employees said they had been employed by controversial Nairobi businessman Jimi Wanjigi, who is a key figure in the opposition coalition, Nasa.

One of the security guards who declined to be named for security reasons told the Nation that he has been seeing state-of-the-art vehicles entering the premises but he has never identified the persons.

Mr Muchangi, who also paraded the suspects to the press, said they are investigating the real of owner of the house after the suspects claimed they have been employed by Mr Wanjigi.

Mr Muchangi said the housekeepers and security guards suspected to have been employed in the house were arrested on Monday morning while reporting for duty.

“The four suspects were also arrested at the house and have been taken for interrogations to help us in investigation,” he said, adding that “also recovered is a tortoise shell.”

“The issue of ownership is subject to investigation but prior investigation have established that the house belongs to two Italians. We are yet to establish if the owners had sold the house to another person,” he said.

REPORTING TO WORK

Stephen Mulewa, one of the suspects who spoke to the press under the watch of police, said he was employed at the premise by Mr Wanjigi and he was arrested on Monday morning after reporting to work.

“I arrived at the house in the morning and I noticed something unusual after seeing policemen surrounding the premise only to be told that firearms have been recovered at the premises,” he said.

Mr Mulewa, whom police restrained from divulging a lot of information about the incident, said he was unaware of the firearms recovered from one of the stores despite having worked at the house for a while.

Mr Muchangi said the country has experienced numerous terrorism, attacks and they are investigating whether the firearms were to be used to commit terror activities in the country.

“The firearms that have been recovered are in serviceable state and we are establishing if they were used for terror attacks,” he said, urging members of the public to assist police with information that might lead to arrest of more suspects.

Mr Muchangi said they received reports that some suspicious activities were going on in the house and police working on a joint operation raided the house and recovered the deadly weapons.