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Members of the County Assembly may be forced to cut short their break to discuss claims that some county askaris are cruelly killing hawkers.
Karura ward rep Kamau Thuo has written to the Speaker asking that a special sitting for the members be called to legislate on guidelines for the inspectorate department.
“The onus lies with the Speaker to allocate the day. We can’t keep quiet while things are going awry in the city. We have to hold the executive to account,” said Thuo.
Thuo’s concern arose after some askaris were accused of maiming and killing over six street vendors. Three askaris were arrested on January 8 following an intervention by Senator Mike Sonko, Director of Criminal Investigations Ndegwa Muhoro and Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko.
Alfred Muranya alias Brown, Julius Ochieng and Protus Sakala aka Salala have since been arraigned in court. The three have been charged with murder and other criminal activities. Sakala was allegedly found in possession of a Ceska pistol.
Senator Sonko who has offered Sh100,000 to anyone who can offer information concerning the whereabouts of the other rogue askaris said: “I will move a notch higher and target the Nairobi City County executive and the City Inspectorate Department to take full responsibility for the brutal murder of innocent hawkers. It is sad to note that rogue askari’s claim that they carry out such beastly acts on orders from their bosses,” claimed Sonko.
The senator alleged that the askaris wield so much power that they arrest hawkers and personally book them in the Occurrence Book at the Central and Kamukunj police stations.
Central police boss Paul Wanjama however denied Sonko’s claims saying: “Askaris can’t enter suspects in the OB. In fact, they have in their stations registers and a cell where they hold suspects before later arraigning them in their county courts. We only book criminals if the case is of a criminal nature, not violation of city by-laws” said Wanjama.
— James Mwangi
