A police AK-47 rifle stolen during a violent attack in Mavoko has been recovered nine months later after a deadly shootout between detectives and suspected gang members in Machakos County.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), in a statement posted on its X account on Saturday, August 15, 2026, said the firearm was recovered in the Mashokani area of Matungulu Sub-County along the Koma–Kenol Highway.

Detectives, acting on “actionable intelligence,” had intercepted a gang suspected of terrorising the area. The suspects were travelling in a Toyota Harrier when officers ordered them to stop.

According to the DCI, the suspects responded by opening fire, prompting detectives to return fire. One suspect who was armed with an AK-47 was fatally wounded during the exchange.

Another suspect, who was reportedly carrying a pistol, escaped from the scene as detectives launched a pursuit to apprehend him.

The recovered rifle was loaded with 11 rounds of 7.62×39mm ammunition. Preliminary investigations established that it was the same firearm stolen from a police officer during an attack in Athi River in November 2025.

During the earlier incident, three armed men reportedly attacked the officer while he was guarding a residence, shooting him in the chest and both legs before fleeing with his AK-47, which had been loaded with 30 rounds, as well as his mobile phone.

The latest operation also led to the recovery of eight mobile phones, four balaclavas, crowbars and torches from the suspects’ Toyota Harrier.

The DCI said Crime Scene Investigation officers processed the scene, while the body of the deceased suspect was taken to Kangundo Level 4 Hospital mortuary pending an autopsy.

“As the escaped suspect remains on the run, detectives are leaving no stone unturned in the hunt to bring him to justice and unravel the gang’s wider criminal network,” the DCI said.

Investigators have continued their pursuit of the escaped suspect as they work to establish the gang’s wider links to other criminal activities.