- A suspected phone thief caused a sensation in Makongeni, Thika, after he climbed onto the roof of a house to escape angry residents
- A video that went viral showed him walking cautiously on the roof as a crowd gathered below, demanding his surrender.
- The situation was alarming, reflecting growing anger among residents following frequent incidents of theft in the area.
Residents of Makongeni in the city Thika they witnessed a tense scene after the suspected phone thief climbed on the roof of a residential house in a last ditch attempt to escape the angry crowd.
Source: Facebook
The incident, which happened opposite St Matias Mulumba Hospital in Phase 6, attracted several residents who surrounded the building shouting and asking the suspect to come down and face them.
How the Thika suspect tried to avoid arrest
A video that has gone viral on the internet shows the young man walking slowly on the roof, taking every step carefully to avoid falling or breaking the tin.
He moved slowly from one side of the roof to the other, as if contemplating his next move as the noise of the crowd grew louder.
From the video, voices can be heard shouting in Kiswahili asking him to surrender. “Get down and get hit! Don’t try to let him escape!” a voice was heard saying.
Witnesses said the suspect was allegedly caught trying to steal a mobile phone before running to a neighboring compound.
Surrounded and with no normal escape route, he climbed onto the roof as a last resort to avoid capture.
The crowd continued to stand around the house; some recording the incident with their phones while others made threats and demands.
The situation was alarming, showing the residents’ tiredness due to frequent incidents of phone theft in the area.
Mobile phone theft has become a growing problem in many urban towns, including Thika, where residents say thieves target unsuspecting pedestrians before disappearing into congested streets.
It was not immediately clear how the standoff ended or if authorities arrived in time to prevent the situation from turning violent.
Source: Facebook
Online reviews
Kevin Omondi: “These phone thieves are making life very difficult for ordinary Kenyans. But taking the law into one’s own hands is not the solution; he should have been handed over to the police.”
Mercy Wanjiku: “Imagine risking your life for someone’s phone. This shows how desperation and crime are destroying our youth.”
Brian Mutiso: “Makongeni is becoming increasingly unsafe these days. The authorities should increase patrols because the residents are fed up and angry.”
Faith Achieng’: “The crowd was angry, yes, but violence is not justice. Today it is a thief, tomorrow it could be an innocent person wrongly accused.”“
James Mwangi: “He thought the roof would save him, but there is nowhere to hide forever. Let this be a lesson that crime does not pay.”
A police officer was arrested for allegedly planting marijuana
At the same time, a police officer who was attached to Ngoni Police Post in Makueni County escaped after allegedly being found cultivating cannabis inside the police residence.
The officer, identified as Ramadhan Mwiti Nassir, reportedly broke away from his colleagues who were trying to control him and ran away.
He ran into a nearby bush, prompting his colleagues to start a search. Despite being tracked, he managed to escape.
While escaping, he reportedly dropped one stem of the plant, which was collected and kept as a specimen.
The incident was recorded under OB 05/22/2/2026 at Ngoni Police Post under Mbumbuni Police Station.
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Source: TUKO.co.ke
