By Robert Mutasi 
Police say four men who were shot dead during a confrontation with detectives along the Eldoret-Kiplombe-Soy Road have been linked through forensic evidence to the murder of a Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) cleric who was killed during a robbery in Nakuru County earlier this year.
The Director of Criminal Investigations, Mohamed Amin, said investigators had established forensic links connecting the four suspects to the killing of Rev. Julius Ndumia, who was attacked on May 3, 2026, at PCEA Tabuga Church in Nakuru North Sub-County.
“We believe the gang was behind the murder of the cleric and a series of other criminal incidents,” Amin said.
According to investigators, the attackers who raided the church were armed, and some were dressed in military uniforms. Detectives later recovered similar uniforms from what police described as the gang’s operational hideout in the Huruma area of Eldoret, strengthening the investigation.
Police believe Rev. Ndumia was killed during a violent robbery at the church compound. Investigators allege that after the attack, members of the gang stole mobile phones and other valuables before using the cleric’s phone to withdraw money through mobile banking services.
According to detectives, security camera footage captured some of the suspects withdrawing the money before allegedly sharing the proceeds.
The investigation had earlier led to the arrest of two suspects, who were charged with robbery with violence before the Nakuru Law Courts. The two were later released on a bond of Sh300,000 each.
Police allege the suspects were found in possession of mobile phones and SIM cards believed to have been stolen from the cleric’s residence.
The latest development follows a police operation conducted on Monday morning after detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations office in Soy received intelligence about an armed gang allegedly terrorizing motorists and residents along the Eldoret-Kiplombe-Soy Road.
Police said the suspects, who were reportedly dressed in police uniforms, opened fire after noticing the approaching detectives, prompting officers to return fire.
The four men were fatally shot during the exchange, while an unknown number of their alleged accomplices escaped toward Eldoret town on three motorcycles.
Following the shooting, detectives recovered a Falcon pistol loaded with four rounds of 9×19 mm ammunition, a homemade firearm, a hammer mallet, crude housebreaking tools, balaclava masks, gloves, strings and a spent cartridge, according to police.
Investigators are continuing to pursue the suspects who escaped and are examining the recovered items as part of ongoing investigations into the killing of Rev. Ndumia and other crimes that police believe were carried out by the same gang.
The Independent Policing Oversight Authority, which routinely reviews incidents involving fatal police shootings, had not publicly commented on the operation by the time of publication.