Police in Nairobi have arrested a househelp in connection with the theft of USD4,000 (Ksh518,000), family passports, foreign national IDs and gold coins among other items from her employer.
The househelp, Rita Akinyi Yohana, is also accused of stealing Diwali statues, a pen drive, a hard disk, bank locker keys, perfumes and other belongings from her employer, according to a statement by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) on Friday, March 14, 2025.
“Detectives from DCI Nairobi Region Headquarters augmented by their Dagoretti counterparts have arrested Rita Akinyi Yohana, a house help who went on the run after pulling off a bold theft from her employer. The incident which was reported on March 11, 2025, at Spring Valley Police Station, reveals a tale of betrayal from a trusted employee of 15 months, believed to have stolen a safe brimming with valuable items including family passports, foreign national IDs, 4,000 US dollars, gold coins, Diwali statues, a pen drive, a hard disk, bank locker keys, perfumes and other belongings,” DCI stated.
Akinyi was arrested in Kawangware’s Congo-Maumau area, where several items such as 29 one-hundred-dollar notes, assorted Indian Rupees, perfumes, and women’s purses all traced back to her employer, were recovered
“Upon visiting the crime scene, detectives discovered that the safe previously secured with screws in a wardrobe had been expertly unscrewed and stolen. Through forensic-led intelligence, Akinyi was smoked out of her hideout in Kawangware’s bustling Congo Maumau area, bringing the chase to an end. A search of her residence uncovered a trove of stolen items, including 29 one-hundred-dollar notes, assorted Indian Rupees, perfumes, and women’s purses all traced back to her employer,” DCI stated.
Police say that Akinyi has confessed to discarding the ransacked safe in the murky depths of River Maumau.
“With help from local divers, detectives managed to retrieve the safe from the riverbed only to find it emptied of its contents,” DCI added.
Akinyi is currently in police custody undergoing processing pending arraignment as the recovered items are securely preserved as exhibits.
Francis Muli
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