Residents of Madogo and Mororo, Tana River County are now living in fear as cases of daylight robberies targeting mainly women sour despite the presence of a police station.
So bad is the situation that the no one can dare speak about the crime in public.
The criminals are using the bodaboda to prey on women with purses or anyone talking on their mobile phones before snatching them and speeding off.
Nominated Garissa Member of the County Assembly (MCA), Queen Teresia who resides in Madogo now warns that if the police don’t move with speed to tame the crime, it could get out of hand.
Talking to KNA on phone, Teresia said that despite the crimes being reported at the Madogo Police Station, the robberies continue unabated.
“ The residents are being robbed in broad daylight. Burglaries in residential areas is the order of the day. This cannot continue while we have the police,” Teresia said.
“In Mororo things are even worse as victims are robbed and stabbed with knives, some cases ending in fatalities,” she added.
The MCA urged the National Government to post more police officers to the area if the situation is to be contained.
Rev. Joseph Mwasya said that he has reported four robbery incidents at the Madogo Police Station and none of them has been investigated and concluded.
Mwasya said that since the curfew came into effect, there has been surge in day-time crime.
“It seems the police are overwhelmed. They are enforcing the curfew at night and by morning they are tired and cannot deal with crime,” he added.
But residents who spoke to KNA on condition of anonymity said police laxity is to blame for the crime surge.
Hussein (not his real name) wondered how robberies can take place in broad daylight whereas there is a Police Station in Madogo.
“Victims have stopped reporting these crimes because the police do nothing about them. Some of the victims are even threatened for reporting the crimes to the police,” Hussein said.
“We are left wondering how these criminals got to know that an incident they were involved in was reported at the station,” he added.
Amina called on Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) to investigate the conduct of some of the police officers at the Madogo Station.
“It’s no secret that some rogue police officers work with criminals in areas where crime is prevalent,” he added.
Last year, a group of young boys known to the residents and calling themselves ‘Kayole’ posted video recordings threatening certain individuals within Madogo of being police informers.
They threatened them with dire consequences if they did not stop forthwith giving police information concerning their operations.
The gang went underground after their leaders were arrested but according to Hussein it seems they have resurfaced.
By Jacob Songok
