Hotels owners in Bungoma County are calling on the government to move swiftly and avert a rising crime wave that has hit the sector in recent weeks.
Led by Bungoma County Hotels Association Secretary Mr Robert Nasila, the hoteliers told the press that most of the hotels in the region are counting losses after experiencing a spate of break-ins by armed gang men during curfew hours.
In the past one week alone, six hotels in Kanduyi, Chwele, Kimilili, Bungoma and Webuye have been raided by thugs dressed in police regalia.
On Wednesday last week, an unknown number of thugs in police attires raided Iconic Hotel in Chwele, tied the guards with a barbed wire before making away with an unknown amount of money, drinks, electronics and other valuables.
Speaking to the press in Webuye town on Friday, Mr.Nasila who is also the manager of Minata Hotels appealed to Bungoma County Commissioner Abdi Hassan to ensure police conduct thorough patrols during curfew hours.
The hotelier further lamented that police officers on patrol have merely been scaring residents with police vehicle alarms instead of cracking down on thuggery.
He attributed the escalating crime rate to former prisoners who were recently released from the custody by the state to decongest prisons in the wake of the Covid 19 scare.
At the same time, he appealed to hotel operators to mount CCTV cameras in their business premises to aid in tracking suspected burglars.
By Roseland Lumwamu
