Residents of Ngungu in Gichugu, Kirinyaga County, have intercepted two suspects during an attempted coffee theft at a local factory, while two other members of the group escaped after being confronted.
The suspects were arrested after attempting to steal eight bags of coffee valued at more than Sh1 million from Ngungu Grower Coffee Society.
The incident occurred after the suspects reportedly accessed the factory at night and began loading the coffee.
According to the society’s chairperson, Ruth Wanjiru Maina, two night guards noticed the intruders and raised the alarm, prompting residents from Ngungu and neighbouring villages to rush to the factory.
The guards reportedly left the premises to seek assistance after discovering the suspected thieves.
Their alarm brought residents to the scene, where they confronted the individuals involved in the attempted theft.
Peter Maina, a resident of Riakithiga, said the suspects had used an electric motorcycle to reach the factory without attracting attention from people living nearby.
He explained that the motorcycle’s silent operation made it difficult for anyone to notice the group’s arrival.
“The electric motorcycle was silent. They arrived here unheard because an electric motorcycle does not make noise,” one of the guards said.
During the confrontation, residents managed to apprehend two of the four suspects, while the remaining two escaped.
Maina said the arrested individuals claimed to come from Karumandi and Ngungu, while the two who fled were reportedly from Kiangothe and Ithareini.
One of the suspects who escaped was also said to have been acting as a broker in the operation, allegedly helping to organise the theft.
“They said the man from Ithareini was the broker,” Maina said.
Following the incident, angry residents set the electric motorcycle believed to have been used by the suspects on fire.
Wanjiru confirmed that eight bags of coffee had already been removed from the drying area before the suspects were intercepted. She expressed concern that someone from a neighbouring area was reportedly involved in organising the attempted theft.
“It is unfortunate the broker of the thieves is in Ithare, which is very near the factory. It is sad,” she said.
Police officers and detectives later arrived at the factory and began investigations into the incident.
Authorities were also expected to pursue the two suspects who escaped during the confrontation.
The incident comes at a time when coffee farmers in different parts of Kirinyaga County are raising concerns over increasing cases of theft targeting their crops and harvested produce.
In Kiamuruga, within Kirinyaga Central, farmers have reported persistent night raids by suspected thieves who enter their plantations and harvest both ripe and unripe coffee berries.
The thefts have forced some farmers to change their daily routines, with several spending nights monitoring their farms to prevent criminals from taking their produce.
Farmers Dennis Maina, Joseph Murimi and Jamleck Kibui said the situation had become increasingly difficult, with thieves reportedly targeting entire branches instead of selectively picking coffee berries.
“They are uprooting whole branches and harvesting both ripe and unripe coffee at night,” Maina said.
Kibui revealed that some farmers had spent more than two months guarding their plantations following repeated incidents of theft.
He also recounted an incident on Monday at around 2am when farmers managed to apprehend a suspected thief who had entered a coffee plantation to harvest berries.
According to Kibui, the suspect was using a torch strapped to his head to provide light as he moved through the plantation, apparently unaware that farmers were keeping watch.
“He never knew we were guarding. He was harvesting with a torch tied on his head so that he could see where he was harvesting,” Kibui said.
The farmers said the repeated incidents had placed additional pressure on households that depend on coffee farming for their livelihoods.
They noted that growing coffee requires months of work, financial investment and constant attention before farmers can benefit from their harvest. However, the reported thefts threaten to undo that effort, particularly during the harvesting season when farmers expect to earn income from their crops.
The two incidents have brought renewed attention to the security challenges facing coffee farmers in Kirinyaga, with residents increasingly taking responsibility for guarding factories and plantations against suspected thieves.
For farmers, the concern is not only the loss of coffee but also the growing burden of spending nights protecting their produce instead of relying on normal security arrangements.
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