Insecurity,
A sudden wave of insecurity sweeping across Kenol’s Kagaa area has left the residents clinging onto hope that the local administration will urgently heed to their pleas of having security beefed up in the Sub Location.
The massively growing Kenol Town soon to be promoted to a municipality makes it an easy target to criminals who commit even day time muggings then swiftly disappear on motorcycles into the vastness of the town and its environs like Kabati carefully concealing their actions as victims count losses.
Compounded by the fact that Kagaa is home to high end residential buildings, gated communities as well as low budget rental houses, the area is home to over 15,000 people majority of them working in Kenol town, Thika, Kabati and its environs Some of the victims who spoke to KNA reported that violence was meted on them in their own homes for resisting to be robbed.
55-year-old Agnes wanjiru narrates her ordeal in the hands of the youthful criminals who accosted her on her way to work a week ago. It was around 6am as I walked to work and before I got to the tarmac, I was stopped by a young beautiful lady and a young man, who robbed me of my phone and cash and asked for my mobile pin number,” she narrated. The duo threatened to kill her if she failed to cooperate with them.
The mother of four observed that later that evening at 8pm, she received a call from her relatives informing her that someone was contacting them to send Sh2100 to her mobile number because she was in a state of emergency and needed help.
“I immediately rushed to Kenol police station to report the matter and had my mobile subscriber called to block the line,” she said. The residents noted that Kagaa police post has only three officers who were not domiciled there as they spent their nights at Kenol police station while those from Kenol were the ones who resided at the Kagaa police post.
Kagaa residents during a public forum on insecurity in the area
Photo by Florence Kinyua
They underscored the need for the officer attached at Kagaa police post to reside right there and have a functional vehicle available to them so as to attend to emergencies with ease.
“Whereas adding more police officers here will deter the criminals, having the officers attached to this ward spend their nights here will definitely beef up security because even if you raise alarm, these officers will not respond since it is not their area of jurisdiction,” she said.
Murang’a South Deputy County Commissioner Gitonga Murungi has urged the residents to pass information that would help weed out the criminals. “We have had complains that the information you give has not been held in confidentiality, but I promise you that no one will be victimized for giving us information that will help return sanity to Kagaa area,” he noted.
“I encourage you to talk to us since the criminals are amongst you, and they are well known to you even us we put measures to rid of insecurity, remember that security begins with you and me,” said the DCC.