Bring those who killed four young men to book

One of the mutilated bodies found on Sunday morning by members of the public. [ Jenipher Wachie, Standard]

Four bodies of young men who were reported missing by their families a few days ago have been found dumped in a forest in Kiambu County.

According to the police, the bodies bore torture marks and one of them had his eyes gouged out. The reason behind the macabre killings is yet to be established.

The latest killings come a few months after the discovery of more than 30 bodies that had been dumped in River Yala, Kisumu County. These killings, that add to previously reported murders, can be attributed to extra-judicial killings or criminal gangs that should not be in our midst in the first place.

There is speculation on social media that a deal gone sour could be the reason for the killing of the four young men, but the police are yet to establish the veracity of the claims. They must do so urgently to stop falsehoods that might be spread by netizens about the murders.

In previous cases of disappearances and murders, there has been lack of explanation for the killings by the Police Service whose officers routinely conduct investigations.

The result is erosion of public trust in the police who often end up accused of complicity or cover-up. On several occasions, rogue police officers have been accused of orchestrating such disappearances and murder, especially at the Coast where they have been charged with fighting terrorism.

Second, the public expects answers from the police whenever gruesome murders occur. When such answers are not forthcoming, questions must be asked.  

It is for this reason, and the need to restore public trust in the police service that answers to the latest murders must be found.

When criminals continually outwit our security services and live to perpetrate crime another day, the police cannot escape blame for the rising wave of crime across the country.