The Tragic Story of the Murakaru Brothers — The Brilliant University Graduates Behind Kenya’s Most Daring Bank Tunnel Heist

The story of the Murakaru brothers is one of brilliance, struggle, and a tragic fall from promise to crime. Born and raised in Karura Village in Mathira, Nyeri County, Halford Munene Murakaru and his younger brother, Charles Mwangi Murakaru, grew up in a humble farming family.

Their parents, Titus Murakaru and Esther Nyaguthi, worked tirelessly—like many Kenyan parents—to give their children a better life through education.

Despite being two years apart, Halford and Charles were extremely close. Their parents often said the brothers were inseparable, always studying together and supporting each other.

Halford, the eldest, pushed hard academically and created a strong reading culture at home, which Charles quickly embraced.

Both boys shined in their academics. They consistently topped their exams and eventually secured positions at the prestigious Nyeri High School, the same school that produced former President Mwai Kibaki.

At Nyeri High, the two brothers maintained their excellence, scoring straight As and later earning admission to Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).

After years of dedication, they both graduated with degrees in Agricultural Engineering. But after graduation, reality hit them hard.

They struggled to find jobs, which was disappointing after believing for so long that “education is the key.” The joblessness pushed them into financial frustrations that eventually changed their lives forever.

To survive in Nairobi, the brothers began engaging in small-scale fraud disguised as car sales. This kept them afloat for a while, but being high achievers, they wanted more.

They were not satisfied with just surviving—they wanted a breakthrough. Unfortunately, their ambition took a dangerous turn.

Inspired by famous global heists such as the Brazilian Bank Tunnel Robbery and El Chapo’s tunnel escape, the Murakaru brothers devised a plan for a high-level, bloodless bank robbery—one that would match their intelligence and promise a big reward.

They brought in two friends: Julius Ndung’u Wainaina, a University of Nairobi Electrical Engineering graduate, and Shem Kirimi, who was a student at JKUAT at the time.

Together, the four set out to execute what later became known as one of the most sophisticated heists in Kenyan history.

Their target was KCB Thika Branch, which had a major weakness—they discovered that the bank’s backside had no CCTV cameras. This blind spot became the foundation of their plan.

In June 2017, the group rented three stalls in the adjacent building using fake identification documents. The stalls were located about 30 meters from the bank. They set up a bookshop business in one stall while using the other two for their secret tunnel project.

Using proceeds from earlier fraud activities, they paid Ksh 168,000 upfront for six months’ rent—the exact amount of time they estimated it would take to complete the tunnel.

They bought all the equipment they needed: hoes, gas cylinders, masks, wooden planks for support, sacks, cartons, a spirit level, an inverter, and a battery to power lights underground.

During the day, they ran the bookshop openly, printing and selling books. Meanwhile, they took turns sneaking into the back stalls to dig a narrow tunnel—about 10 inches wide—towards the bank’s strong room.

At night, they convinced the building caretaker to let them “continue packaging books,” even though they were actually moving soil packed in sacks. Shem would load the soil into cartons and drive it away without raising suspicion.

Their well-coordinated routine continued for six months, and no one suspected a thing. They were clean, neat, and looked like educated young men—nothing like the stereotypical bank robber.

As the tunnel neared completion, they paid an associate Ksh 21,000 to rent a one-bedroom house in Juja where they planned to store part of the loot. Finally, on the night of Sunday, November 19, 2017, they broke into the bank’s strong room using oxyacetylene welding gas. The plan worked perfectly.

They escaped with Ksh 52 million in cash, along with foreign currencies including 95 Australian dollars, 185 Euros, 1,630 British Pounds, 5,781 USD, 271,000 Tanzanian shillings, 940,000 Ugandan shillings, 40 South African rand, and 5 Canadian dollars.

Instead of fleeing, the three—Halford, Charles, and Julius—returned quietly to their house in Marurui Estate in Kasarani. Shem, however, went his separate way after the heist.

Their success was short-lived. A week after the robbery, a neighbor tipped off the police after noticing strange behavior in the house. Police raided the residence and arrested the three suspects. Inside, investigators found SIM cards and stolen IDs, which eventually led them to part of the stolen money.

From the house, police recovered Ksh 17,135,000, along with 1,311 USD, 340 Pounds, 5 Canadian Dollars, 85 Australian Dollars, 46,000 Tanzanian shillings, 40 South African rand, and 20,000 Ugandan shillings. The rest of the money—about Ksh 20 million—was unaccounted for.

The three were taken to court and later released on a Ksh 4 million bond. Meanwhile, Shem Kirimi was later arrested about a week afterward in an entertainment spot in Mtwapa, where he had been hiding.

Up to today, around Ksh 20 million has never been recovered. No one was killed during the heist, and many still regard it as Kenya’s most intelligently executed robbery.

If you do the math: Ksh 52M stolen – Ksh 17M recovered – Ksh 16M bond payments = about Ksh 20M missing. Meaning each member may have walked away with roughly Ksh 5M.

A brilliant plan, a tragic fall, and a story of wasted potential—perhaps one of Kenya’s most unforgettable heists.

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