KAKAMEGA: Police officers in Kakamega County have launched a manhunt for two suspected livestock thieves who fled into a thicket after a dramatic car chase ended with their getaway vehicle landing in a ditch early Tuesday morning.

The incident unfolded during the early hours of July 7, 2026, when officers from the Khwisero Police Station were manning a routine vehicle checkpoint at the busy Khumusalaba Junction.

The team intercepted a suspicious motor vehicle traveling from the Mumias–Ekero direction toward Buyangu.

Upon spotting the police roadblock, the driver abruptly made a sharp U-turn in a desperate attempt to evade law enforcement, prompting officers to immediately launch a high-speed pursuit.

The chase came to an end at the Mushiangubu area, where the fleeing driver lost control of the vehicle.

The car veered wildly off the road before plunging into a roadside ditch.

Officers swiftly closed in on the crashed vehicle and managed to arrest one of the occupants. However, two other suspects quickly abandoned the car and successfully ran into a nearby thicket under the cover of darkness.

A thorough search of the intercepted vehicle revealed that it was transporting three head of cattle, which police suspect had been stolen from farms in the region.

The animals were safely recovered from the vehicle and escorted back to the Khwisero Police Station, where they are being held pending identification and collection by their rightful owners.

The arrested suspect has since been arraigned in court to face charges related to livestock theft and evading police arrest.

Meanwhile, local detectives have intensified their investigations to track down and apprehend the two accomplices who escaped.