Senior police officers in Nakuru county have been moved in a major shake up over the recent wave of killings and related violent crimes by a notorious terror in the city.
Nakuru County Police Commander Beatrice Kiraguri was replaced by her Kasarani counterpart Peter Mwanzo as Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i announced that more changes were coming to forestall peace in the troubled city.
He said the National Police Service Commission was working on modalities to transfer of more Police officers in the affected stations to beef operations in a bid to contain the runaway wave of crime in the city.
Matiang’i who announced the changes during a visit in the county vowed to deal firmly with criminal gangs that have been terrorizing residents with impunity in broad daylight.
He fired a warning shot to those financing criminal gangs saying that they would be treated in the same manner as the gangs they support. He singled out politicians who use the criminal gangs to advance their political ambitions.
“As a government, we are determined to deal with criminal gangs. We will apply pressure on them until they are all decimated,” Matiang’i said. “We know that politics is the cause of the revival of these gangs, not just in Nakuru, but also in other parts of the country,” he said.
The tough-talking CS promised residents that they would not experience another attack by the gang, and asked them to surrender information they may have about criminal elements to authorities.
“I wish to offer my sincere apology on my own behalf and other government officers for the traumatic incidences reported. I wish to assure you it will not happen again, “the CS told the huge crowd attending the meeting.
So far a special squad pursuing organized criminal gangs behind a series of attacks that have been experienced in the area has arrested 128 suspects in connection with the spate of armed robberies that have been reported in the city.
Matiang’i was accompanied by a high powered delegation composed of Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui, Inspector General of National Police Service Hilary Mutyambai, Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss George Kinoti, General Service Unit Commandant Douglas Kanja, Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Maalim Mohammed and County Commissioner Erastus Mwenda.
At the same time, Matiang’i asked political leaders to put the interest of the nation first as the August general election approaches and said Kenya was one of the countries that successfully hold elections after every five years.
He said political leaders should not behave like the coming election will be the end of the world saying that Kenyans will support leaders who will be elected and there should be no reasons for any worries.
Already Nakuru Town East MP David Gikaria and his Nakuru Town West counterpart Samuel Arama have been grilled by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) over the rising insecurity in the county.
Both Gikaria and Arama had earlier on Tuesday morning been summoned to record a statement at the Regional DCI Offices in Nakuru.
Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Maalim Mohammed also confirmed that Bahati lawmaker Kimani Ngunjiri was also expected to report to the DCI offices to record a statement over the matter.
Maalim blamed the rising insecurity cases on suspected organized criminal outfits going by the names ‘Confirm’, ‘Mauki’, ‘Nyuki’, ‘Gaza’, ‘Jerusalem’ and ‘Boston Brothers’ operating in Pondamali, Mawanga, Kwa-Ronda, Stima line, Jasho, Bangladesh, Shabab, Mwariki and Kaptembwa Estates.
In recent meetings convened by the county security committee, locals have claimed that some politicians have been funding and protecting the criminals.
The Cabinet Secretary vowed to ensure that security agencies would not relent in hunting down marauding criminals who have been killing people in Nakuru Town East and Bahati sub-counties after a spate of shocking murders.
Governor Kinyanjui said all those culpable must be brought to book, stating that the community should not protect criminals living among them.
While announcing that the county government would make available some of its vehicles for use by police officers on patrol, Kinyanjui called on security agencies to map regions that are prone to robbery and other criminal activities.
The Governor regretted that rising incidents of insecurity were disrupting learning activities and ruining businesses in the County.
By Jane Ngugi and Kelvin Kamau
