By James Munyeki
Nyandarua, Kenya: The quiet nights that residents of several villages in Nyandarua used to enjoy are no longer guaranteed.
The resident are now wary of intruders who have wreaked havoc in the last two days, as insecurity in the area reaches alarming levels.
The armed gang that has been attacking people at will has seen the admission of seven people in hospital and families counting losses.
Last Sunday, 38-year-old David Kanyango was accosted by a gang of five men armed with machetes and a homemade gun as he walked home.
They ordered him to lie down and surrender all his belongings as some called out his name. The father of three obliged and gave them his mobile phone and Sh200.
But the gang insisted that he gives them more money, claiming they knew he had sold his cow the previous day.
He told them he didn’t have more money and they proceeded to rough him up, stabbing him on his head in the process.
Panga cut
“One of them drew a panga and cut me on my head. It is after they realised that I was bleeding profusely that they left me lying there,” he said.
“Huyu jamaa hana pesa na tutamuua bure (It looks like he doesn’t have money and it is pointless to continue beating him up),” he recalls one of them saying.
A Good Samaritan later rushed him to a nearby hospital where he was admitted.
And just like Kanyango, the gang attacked James Mwangi on the fateful day and robbed him of his mobile phone and Sh2,000.
And this has now become the order of the day at Rurii, Matura, Ol Kalou and Kasuku areas.
This latest happenings have made residents to live in fear of attacks similar to those happening in Western.
The residents have now been forced to retire to their homes as early as 7pm for fear of being attacked by the gang.
According to Rurii Ward representative Wahome Kamoche, barely a day passes without an attack being reported.
He said seven assaults were reported in the last one week, with two of them leading to hospitalisation of the victims.
“It has become the order of the day and now the residents are living in fear since we do not know who will be the next victim. This is an issue that the Government needs to take up seriously,” he observes.
Crude weapons
Kamoche said the gang comprises of a group of youths believed to be in their mid 20s.
“According to those who have been attacked, these are young men who even call the victims by their names. We do not know where they hail from and they are always armed with crude weapons,” he notes.
Kamoche said they have now been forced to hire youths to keep vigil in areas hit by the upsurge in crime.
On Tuesday, local leaders led by Nyandarua Governor Daniel Waithaka and Ol Kalou MP David Kiaraho led residents in protests to demand deployment of more security personnel in the area.
“We do not want to witness ugly incidents that have happened in Bungoma and Busia and that is why we want swift police action. We want the Government to provide security to our people and let them conduct business peacefully,” noted Waithaka.
On that night, two people suspected to be among the gang were lynched by angry residents after they were caught travelling with crude weapons at Kasuku trading centre.
They had confessed to be robbers before they were lynched.
Nyandarua OCPD Benjamin Onsongo has since warned that stern action would be taken against those terrorising residents.
“We cannot let a group of people to put a curfew on our people so that they go home early. This is an issue that we are taking seriously and anybody found committing crime will face the full force of the law,” he noted.
Political mileage
He, however, warned local leaders against politicising the issue.
“Politicians should also be out of this issue as police are handling the matter. We know some of them are using the attacks to get political mileage,” he said.
He noted that already, a politician from the area had been summoned by the district security committee to give more information on the recent incidents.
He added that more police officers had been deployed in the area to prevent future incidents.
