Armed robbers killed a British hotelier and a Kenyan truck driver in this popular tourist area in central Kenya, police said on Wednesday. One of the robbers was also shot and killed.
The gang took a watchman hostage late on Tuesday at the luxury Crater Lake Lodge, 90km northeast of Nairobi, and then shot and killed owner John Gordon (69) when he went outside to investigate, district police chief Simon Kiragu said.
”When Gordon went to inquire what was happening, the thugs shot him in the chest, killing him instantly,” Kiragu said. He said the attack began at about 9pm and that nothing had been stolen from the lodge.
While attempting to flee the scene, one of the robbers was killed just outside the lodge, but it was unclear if he was shot by police, hotel guards or one of his gang by mistake, officials and witnesses said.
Then the group tried to hijack a car, killing driver John Mwangi and wounding the driver’s wife, Pauline Wanjiku, Kiragu added. The robbers stole cash and cellphones, but then fled on foot.
Wanjiku was in critical condition on Wednesday morning.
Police were searching the area for the gang early Wednesday.
The Naivasha area is a popular tourist destination with several national parks in the area. It is also home to Kenya’s multimillion-dollar flower export industry and was an important farming region for European settlers during the colonial period.
Two farm managers were killed in separate armed robberies in the past year, spreading fear among residents and discouraging tourism.
Arrests have been made in both of those slayings, though there have been no convictions. – Sapa-AP