POLICE in Kenya have launched a manhunt after a British man was murdered in a bungled robbery, apparently in front of his wife.

Graham Warren, 58, was shot on Friday night trying to resist a gang of thieves at the home he and his wife Christine, 56, shared in the coastal resort of Watamu.

Police said a gang of six men had waited for the couple, who retired to Kenya in 2004, to return from a restaurant where they had been dining with friends from England.

As the Britons got out of their car the gang attacked them with sticks and forced them to lie on the ground. Warren got up and shouted: “Run, run.” He was shot at close range. The others were saved by their refusal to join him.

Gregory Waikwa, the local police chief, said: “They ambushed him demanding money. Mr Warren resisted and they shot him twice, on the chest and in the arm.” The thieves escaped with about £6,000 but Waikwa added that the killing appeared to be unconnected to postelection violence that has claimed hundreds of lives in Kenya this month.

Watamu is a favoured place for British expatriates. Its pristine white, sandy beach is considered one of the best in the world. Visitors also come for big game fishing.

Neighbours said Warren, originally from Northampton, had had built his own house overlooking the Indian Ocean. His wife was being comforted by friends and neighbours yesterday. Family members are understood to be flying to Kenya from England.

Steve Curtis, of the Watamu Residents’ Association, said: “It is a great shock. He was a wonderful man. He loved Kenya and spent two years building his house.”

Damian Davies, owner of the nearby Turtle Bay Beach Club, said: “Their dream was to have their own little bit of heaven. Now that dream home is a crime scene. Christine has lost her husband and our community has lost a great friend.”

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