Police are investigating the theft of Sh1.32 million intended to finance security operations in Bangale Sub-County, Tana River County, after the money disappeared from a locked vehicle parked at a government office.
The cash, amounting to Sh1,323,100, belonged to Tana North Sub-County Accountant and had been withdrawn from Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) in Garissa Town on Thursday, October 22, 2026.
According to police, the money was meant to fund security operations through an Authority to Incur Expenditure (AIE) allocation for National Government Administrative Officers (NGAO) in Bangale Sub-County.
The accountant had travelled to Garissa alongside the newly appointed Sub-County Auditor before withdrawing the money and returning to the area.
Upon arriving at the Deputy County Commissioner’s office in Madogo, the accountant reportedly placed the cash underneath the driver’s seat of his maroon Nissan Note before locking the vehicle.
The two officials then visited several government offices, including those of the Ministry of Education, the Administration Police Service and the Sub-County Intelligence and Operations office, to introduce the new auditor.
They later returned to the Deputy County Commissioner’s office, where the accountant intended to hand over the money.
However, before the cash could be handed over, a colleague, requested the vehicle keys to place a Local Purchase Order (LPO) book inside the car.
Upon inserting the keys, Bare reportedly noticed that the door lock was not functioning normally. Kimani, who was approaching the vehicle, also noticed the anomaly.
When they opened the car and checked inside, they discovered that the cash stashed beneath the driver’s seat was missing.
The matter was subsequently reported to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), prompting investigations into the theft.
Police visited the scene, while Scenes of Crime officers from Garissa documented it as part of the investigation.
Police are investigating the circumstances under which the vehicle was accessed and the money stolen, with the incident raising concerns over the security of public funds earmarked for local security operations.
Police said they suspect the said thieves had trailed the victims from the bank before staging the robbery.
Meanwhile, police in Kakamega County are investigating a violent robbery in which the principal of Isongo Secondary School lost Sh188,900 meant for paying subordinate staff.
The incident occurred on Wednesday, October 21, at around 3pm along the Makunga-Isongo murram road in Mumias East Sub-County.
Police said the principal had withdrawn the money from KCB Bank in Mumias while accompanied by the school bursar.
The money was intended to pay the school’s subordinate staff.
The two boarded a matatu and alighted at Makunga Trading Centre, where the principal later hired a motorcycle to continue her journey to the school, leaving the bursar behind as she went shopping.
However, upon reaching the Shikomare area, their motorcycle was allegedly blocked by a white saloon car, causing them to fall.
Five armed occupants reportedly emerged from the vehicle and robbed the principal of her handbag containing the Sh188,900.
In a further twist, the principal reportedly pursued the assailants to recover her bag but was taken into their vehicle as they sped away.
The suspects later abandoned her at Eshisisia area before fleeing.
Police officers visited, processed and documented the scene.
The suspected getaway vehicle was circulated to relevant security agencies, but no arrests had been made and no recovery reported by the time of filing the report.
Investigations are ongoing as police pursue the suspects and seek to recover the stolen money.
Police suspect the suspects had prior information on the transactions hence the attack. Police said they would interrogate the bank staff to establish what they knew, if any. There are also suspicions the suspects had been hanging in the banking hall monitoring transactions before the struck.
This is the latest such incident to happen amid investigations, police said.
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