In mid-April, Kenyan police officers in Nandi County closed up shop to catch a Champions League match between Manchester United and Barcelona.  The Independent reported that while the officers were out, thieves broke into the police station and stole HK G3 rifles.

The break-in was discovered around 1am upon the officer’s return.  The missing “arsenal” from the armory consisted of three G3 rifles and 60 rounds of 7.62x51mm ammunition.  With the standard capacity magazines being 20 rounds, it could be construed that ammunition taken was already loaded into magazines.  It was also noted that the burglars did not take two magazines with 37 rounds in them between the two.

Heckler & Koch G3 rifle. Image from military-today.com

Reuters reported that the Kenyan police officers had watched two matches on the televisions at a local shopping mall before returning to the station.  The articles didn’t state how many officers were involved, but all have been questioned about the event.  A campaign to search for the rifles is underway.  There was no mention as to which teams the officers were rooting for.

All joking aside, one can’t help but hope the rifles are found, or at the very least, not used against innocent civilians or the police.  Nandi County has about 750,000 residents.  The U.S. Bureau of Diplomatic Security had the following to say in their advisory for 2018:

The greatest threats continue to be road safety and crime. Street crime is a serious problem particularly in Nairobi, Mombasa, and other large cities. Most street crime involves multiple armed assailants. In some instances, large crowds of street criminals incite criminal activity, which has the potential to escalate into mob violence with little notice.

Along with other crimes of opportunity, pickpockets and thieves often carry out snatch-and-grab attacks in crowded areas and from idle vehicles in traffic.

Violent, and sometimes fatal, criminal attacks, including home invasions, burglaries, armed carjackings, and kidnappings can occur at any time and in any location. Criminals frequently use weapons during commission of their crime. Criminals will not hesitate to shoot a victim who is uncooperative or who may appear to hesitate before complying with their assailant. Victims of carjacking are sometimes tied up and put in the back seat or trunk of their own car. However, most victims, if they are completely cooperative, are robbed of their possessions and released unharmed.

What are your thoughts on the burglary during the football matches?  Are there any TFB readers from Kenya that can fill us in further on the crime there?  Have any other TFB readers traveled there recently?