Incidents of criminals posing as bodaboda operators can only be contained by ensuring all the riders are formally registered in recognized associations.
Hamisi sub-county Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) Ruth Lorete said the directive aims at streamlining the boda boda sector so that things like hit and run or masquerading criminals robbing clients become a thing of the past.
Addressing a security-related public baraza at Gambogi trading centre in the Tambua location, Lorete stated that there were riders ferrying thugs at night and urged members of the public to disclose the bad elements amongst them.
The County Director of Gender (CDG) Dorothy Murakwa decried rampant Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) cases in the county.
Murakwa pointed out that domestic violence, defilement, incest, and rape are a major concern in the county and stated that they are applying a multisectorial approach to contain the situation.
Jairus Kisirani, a community elder and the chair of the Gambogi market livestock traders, asked the landlords to ensure the potential tenants undergo background checks and their identification details taken before they are allowed to check into the rooms.
Kisirani added that the cosmopolitan nature of the area has made it home to numerable migrants and due to the fact that it borders Nandi and Kisumu counties, there are frequent incidences of cross-boundary crime.
The sub-county Women for Peace and Security chairperson Joyce Muyeso called for socio-economic empowerment of women and the youth as a way of addressing insecurity; arguing that the former are involved in peddling illicit brews, while the latter are mugging people due to poverty.
The Deputy Officer commanding Gambogi Police Station Jerry Maina warned the residents against attacking security officers during swoops on chang’aa dens, maintaining that his team would employ all the means to fight the menace.
Edith Alusa, a member of the sub-county Peace and Security Actors, called for the protection of the rights of widows and orphans as the main beneficiaries of the household property.
By Sammy Mwibanda
