It is no secret that during times of transition, there is general laxity and even paralysis of various systems leaving society badly exposed to opportunists. This is just such a time.
Fraudsters are making a killing weaving through the cracks left by the uneasy relationship between the newly elected county representatives and central government officers.
Indeed, reporting relationship flowcharts are non-existent, leading to, sometimes, acrimonious exchanges and sow bad seed for the future State of the Union between newly devolved units and national organs.
Fraudsters are taking advantage of this to sell off municipality property like land, rushed tenders and even pocketed collections during the rickety transition.
This despite stern warnings from the Transition Authority, law enforcement agencies and the Commission on Implementation of the Constitution.
Most worrying, however, is the sharp increase in violent and firearm-related crimes. There has been widespread gun-related robberies and assaults in private residences and business premises.
Mop-up firearms
There appear to be a carjacking and robbery for every criminal caught by police and other arms of justice. As they become more brazen in their attacks, so has the public’s frustration with police inaction and this has seen more lynchings reported.
Is the police service lethargy a product of the confusion reigning in the transition to devolution? Are criminal elements exploiting the thinness of the police boots on the beat, given that many officers had recently been deployed to cover elections, secure borders, strike terror in the breast of the cattle rustler and also hunt down secessionists?
If so, should we expect another general mop-up of firearms in the wrong hands? Will community policing be re-invented to act as a stop-gap (and very temporary) measure to check the surge in crime? When will the Closed-Circuit TV system become operational? Who will light up the rods, and residential areas because criminals thrive in the dark and in the shadows? Who is brave enough to give Kenyans a 100-day undertaking to significantly reduce violent crime?
Yes, Kenyans can hope and dream too.
