Court of Appeal Judge Aggrey Muchelule has been drawn into a police investigation after his licensed firearm was recovered from a suspected armed robber who was shot dead during a DCI operation in Joska, Machakos County.
Justice Muchelule told police he learned of the development on Tuesday, July 14, when he received a call informing him that his Beretta pistol had surfaced in the hands of a criminal suspect who had been killed the previous day. The call prompted him to check his New Kitisuru residence, where he believed the weapon was stored, only to discover it was missing.
In a statement recorded at Spring Valley Police Station under OB No. 58/14/07/2026, the judge said he rarely carried the firearm and had last physically confirmed its presence in October 2025, when he had intended to renew its licence. He admitted he never completed that renewal process, meaning the licence had since lapsed.
The pistol, loaded with 15 rounds of 9mm ammunition, was recovered following a fatal shootout between detectives and a suspect identified as Vincent Ochieng at a rented house in Joska. According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, Ochieng opened fire on officers through a kitchen window after they identified themselves and ordered him to open the door. Detectives returned fire, fatally wounding him. His girlfriend and a child present in the house were unharmed.
Investigators say the firearm had been used in an armed robbery at Chaiiwali Restaurant along General Mathenge Road in Spring Valley, Westlands, on July 4, an incident that was captured on CCTV and went viral after masked gunmen stormed the restaurant, robbed diners of mobile phones and a laptop, and fired shots before fleeing on motorcycles.
The weapon has since been forwarded to the National Police Service Forensic Laboratory for ballistic analysis to determine whether it was used in other crimes. Detectives are also working to establish how and when the pistol left the judge’s possession without his knowledge, and whether any criminal offences arose from its disappearance.
A manhunt remains underway for other members of the gang linked to the Westlands robbery and related incidents reported across Nairobi, Kiambu and Machakos counties.
The case has renewed calls for licensed firearm holders to remain vigilant about the security of their weapons and to keep licence renewals up to date.
