Eight killed as police battle criminal gangs in western region

Fear has gripped parts of the western region following a resurgence of criminal gangs terrorising residents at night and in broad daylight even as police intensify security operations.

At least two locals have been killed by the gangs in the last week. Six suspected members of the gangs have also been lynched by members of the public in the same period.

Properties, including motorbikes of unknown value, have also been stolen in the gang attacks that have left a trail of injuries and destruction in parts of Kakamega and Vihiga counties.

Last week, police shot and killed two suspects, one in a failed robbery at a hotel in Kakamega  Town and another in Likuyani.

Police said they received a distress call from a hotel which is near Bukhungu Stadium that there was an ongoing robbery.

A team of police rushed to the scene and found that three suspects holding a guard on duty hostage had broken the front door of the facility and started to steal valuables.

The suspects were holding a 32-inch television set, eight sufurias, two curtains and some alcohol.

The confrontation ensued between police and the suspected gang members, where police pursued the suspects into a nearby bush and confronted one of them, shooting him dead.

Police said one suspect surrendered while a third one escaped.

Two pangas and a metal rod used in the incident were recovered, and the stolen items were also recovered at the scene.

Yesterday in Harambee, Matungu Constituency, Kakamega County, one suspected motorcycle robber was stoned to death after he was found in possession of a stolen motorbike.

One of the suspects survived the wrath of the mob after police officers arrived at the scene.

However, locals are blaming security agencies for laxity over the reemergence of the criminal gangs in the area and across the county.

"We want security agencies to pull up their socks and beef up security teams in the area because we are now living in fear due to the emergence of criminal gangs that are terrorising locals," said Jane Musimbi.

Furthermore, locals want police officers who have overstayed in the area for over five years to be transferred.

"We have police officers who have stayed in an area for over years and are, in one way, contributing to crime and the emergence of criminal gangs, and we want the government to step in and rein in the gangs. "Our shops are being broken into, and cases of burglary are rampant," said Musimbi.

Last week, a boda boda rider in the Mumias East constituency was killed by unknown members of a gang, and his motorcycle was stolen.

In Shinyalu Constituency, detectives are pursuing a gang behind the murder of Timothy Bwonya, a sand dealer.

According to the Western Regional Police Commander Issa Mohamud, the gang robbed the victim of an unknown amount of money he had gotten from selling sand in the area.

Police and locals said he had earlier sold two lorries of sand, which is said to have fuelled the attack.

The body had multiple cuts on the head and both hands as police arrested one of the suspects.

The incidents have sparked fear and concerns among locals who have decided to take the law into their own hands by lynching suspects.

In Butula Constituency, Busia County, women were stoned to death after they were linked to a gang that had earlier attacked a funeral event in the Marachi area.

A gang had earlier attacked mourners on a vigil at a funeral event and left at least five people with injuries.

It was then that villagers ganged up and pursued the two before stoning them to death.

They then dumped the bodies on the Bumala-Butula Road as a show and warning to other gang members who have been terrorising mourners in a similar way in the area.

"We are living in fear because the gang comprising youthful people is terrorising locals, and even after Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, little is being done by security agencies," said Timothy Asonje.

Police said cases of gangs attacking night vigils have been rampant in the area, linking it to cultural beliefs.

Police have warned against mob lynching and demanded that suspects be surrendered to authorities for processing and possible prosecution.

In the Sangalo area, Bungoma County, two men were lynched for suspicions of being motorbike thieves, while in Khayega, Kakamega County, a man was stoned to death on claims he planned to steal cows from a homestead in the Mukhonje area.

During his Jukwaa la Usalama tour of the Western region for a week, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen ordered the security agencies to rein in those advancing Disco Matanga and ensure the event is no longer practised.

The CS argued that disco matanga has contributed to high cases of insecurity, crimes and more than 100 cases of defilement in the last eight months.