Assembly
Siaya County Assembly on Tuesday adjourned its proceedings to discuss the alleged illegal declaration of a curfew in parts of Rarieda Constituency by the police.
East Asembo ward Member of the County Assembly, Gordon Onyango Onguru sought leave from the Siaya Assembly Speaker, George Okode to discuss what he claimed was continuous harassment of residents and innocent travellers going about their business by the national police.
Onguru said that the trend comes in the wake of last week’s incident where a police inspector attached to Ndori police station was killed by a mob that mistook him and his colleague for thugs.
Moving the motion, Onguru said that it was now a crime to own a motorcycle and ride it past 6pm in the area.
“Our youths are being tortured, their only mistake. Owning a motorcycle” said the MCA adding “if the police meet you on the road past the time, you are beaten and locked up in the cells and later taken to court on trumped up charges”.
The Asembo ward representative said that as a result of the harassment, five markets in his ward – Asembo bay, Nyilima, Ndara Okago, Oyude and Ndori become ghost towns as early as 6pm because businessmen fear incurring the wrath of the security officials.
He said that unless quick action was taken to tame the police officers, poverty was bound to rise in the area as no meaningful business was taking place.
“Our women cannot go to the markets to sell or buy commodities and our young men who depend on bodaboda for livelihood have been forced off the road” he lamented.
Seconding the motion, West Uyoma Member of the County Assembly, Justus Oguta said it was unfortunate that the national security officials keep on pretending that they were serving the interests of the public while in reality they are doing the opposite.
Oguta said that the harassment and torture of the innocent has spread past Asembo and was now in Uyoma and the neighbouring areas in Bondo and Gem constituencies.
He called on the elected people’s representatives to take a keen interest in the matter and call the police to order.Oguta said it’s a pity for the police, after recovering the deceased officer’s pistol and arresting dozens of people, some of whom they took to court, to keep on limiting the movement of innocent citizens.
“They have the machinery to get the culprits and leave the innocent alone. If they could get the pistol in two days, do you think they cannot arrest those behind the death of their colleague within the same period?” he posed.