This archive report was first published on 13 September 2019.
On September 11, 2019, a Cessna fixed-wing aircraft landed at Odha Airstrip in Moyale, carrying a consignment of new Sh1,000 notes for a local Equity Bank branch. However, the usual cash collection routine was not followed, and the cash-in-transit team in Nairobi had not alerted the recipients in Moyale of the cash-in-transit.
According to police sources, the cash collection vehicle with Wells Fargo private security guards and armed police officers that routinely waits for the arrival of the plane had not arrived. The aircraft crew waited for 20 minutes before being confronted by two men, one armed with a rifle. The robbers cut a chain-link fence surrounding the airstrip and struck immediately the plane's door was opened.
The pilot told police that one of the gunmen pointed a gun at them and forced them to lie down as his accomplice went inside the plane and picked up three money bags. The robbers later jumped onto a motorcycle and fled. When the police escort arrived, they combed the area for hours, but the robbers managed to escape with an estimated Sh42 million.
Police are investigating the heist, and all parties involved will be questioned. The bank officials in the area have been questioned, and the two pilots and security officer were questioned on Wednesday evening. The absence of a security escort at the airstrip has raised eyebrows, and investigators believe the heist may have been an inside job.
