Mombasa County Commissioner (CC) Mohamed Noor has assured residents and visitors of security days after criminals were captured by Close-Circuit Television (CCTV) mugging a shopper along Haile Selassie Road.
CC Noor directed the halting of a feeding programme for street families being conducted by a cement firm as it harbours criminals who are belligerent once they are full of food and are a menace to pedestrians. Most of the street families are from the neighbouring Kilifi and Kwale counties.
The CC noted that although the programme is noble in assisting the less fortunate it has been infiltrated by criminals and directed the County Security and Intelligence Committee (CSIC) to contact the cement firm to suspend the free food distribution.
The CC challenged philanthropists to devise a long-term solution to empower the youths to earn a living but not through free food which is not sustainable in the long run.
“Criminals when they are full after eating breakfast, lunch and supper start to mug people. As a government, we will not allow the continuation of that. If we want to help people it must be well structured,” said CC.
CC Noor further promised to come up with a strategy to assist the less fortunate in partnership with the county government.
“It is a shame in a big town for people to be mugged in broad daylight in CBD by youths who are fond of terrorising people after eating free food. We have directed the programme to be stopped as we find a way of helping the vulnerable,” he said.
Security committees have been ordered to close down all dens in their localities where street urchins used to stay.
On Wednesday, the CSIC planned and carried out operations in the Central Business District (CBD) after social media was awash with a video of a shopper being mugged moments after he stepped out of a supermarket.
“We have been able to nab 150 people among them suspects and those who have been terrorising residents in Mombasa CBD.
The operations will continue. We have extended it to Kisauni where yesterday night we arrested 27 people. We also nabbed one-kilogramme brooms of bhang,” said CC Noor promising heightened security across the county to weed out criminals.
He added that they have stepped up efforts to ensure the coastal city is safe and people go on with their day-to-day activities without fear.
“Traders should open their businesses without fear. Shoppers should buy without looking over their shoulders. Those visiting CBD at night should not be anxious,” stated the CC, assuring traders of their safety without interference.
Meanwhile, the CC disclosed that the war on drugs and alcohol is paying off as some users have started to exhibit withdrawal symptoms for heroin as a result of the shortage of the drug.
By Sadik Hassan
