Slaughterhouse workers cry foul over attack by Naivasha gang

Workers at a Naivasha slaughterhouse. [File, Standard]

There was a moment of anxiety in Naivasha after workers from the town’s slaughterhouse stormed the area police station to protest attacks by a gang from one of the estates.

Armed with their tools of trade and bloodied, dusty coats, the over 100 workers threatened to avenge the attack of four of their colleagues by the gang if police failed to take action.

For the last one month, tension has been brewing between the workers and the youths from County Council estate, with the latter accusing the workers of stealing their livestock.

It took the intervention of the slaughterhouse chairman, Peter Njogu, to stop the irate workers from attacking the youths who were equally armed on the other side of the town.

Njogu noted that the workers had been working in fear over the frequent attacks by the youths, most of whom were allegedly under the influence of drugs.

He revisited an incident last week where the youths confronted one of the workers, breaking his arm and damaging his home for allegedly stealing their cow.

“It was later established that one of the relatives had sold the cow and we cannot continue working in fear,” he said.

Njogu said that they had lodged a complaint with the police, warning that they would not stand back and watch as the gang continued to harass them.

“We are law-abiding citizens and none of our workers has ever been arrested with stolen livestock and we cannot withstand these attacks anymore,” he said.

One of the workers, Stephen Karanja, said that four of his colleagues had been attacked in the last one month and seriously injured.

 “A group of small boys have been causing us sleepless nights and we shall not stand back as this madness continues,” he warned.

A victim of the attacks, Paul Ng’ang’a, added that the gang leaders were known and called on police to take action before lives were lost in the town.

Speaking on phone, Naivasha DCIO Isaac Kiama said that they had started investigations adding that they were seeking the gang leaders.