Police station in rustling hotspot is understaffed

When former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i and then Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai opened a police Station at Borabu. [File, Standard]

A police division in Borabu where cattle rustling and robbery cases are rampant has only three officers attached to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations office.

The officers attached to the Borabu Police Division in Nyamira County have been transversing the area that has witnessed increased insecurity incidents in the last three months.

The police divisional headquarters opened three years ago with a sub-county director of investigations officer, his deputy and one other junior officer.

Officers overwhelmed

A source within the station said there are situations where the three officers get overwhelmed since they have to prepare files for both the Magistrate Court at Keroka and the High Court at Nyamira. The deputy DCI officer also acts as the official driver of their office van.

Last week, area MP Patrick Osero demanded the immediate transfer of all officers who had served the area for more than three years.

"We must agree that there is a problem in this region. We have officers who have overstayed here. Some of the robbery cases under investigation have taken months," he said.

The Standard has since learnt that the sub-county police boss had been sent on compulsory leave with his possible replacement set to report to work before the end of the week.

The affected senior police officer was involved in a spat with area MP who had visited the station.

A seemingly angered OCPD Josphat Chacha told off the MP and dared him to initiate his transfer, noting he had fought hard to end the cattle rustling menace in the area yet nobody was appreciating his efforts.

"The work I am doing here is for the good of the people in this area. I am not here to protect any of my family members but the property of other Kenyans. I do the work that other police units could have done; this has affected my health," the senior officer said as he stormed out of his office.

Volunteer information

Last week, Nyamira County Commissioner Onesmus Kyatha called on locals to give information on suspected criminals involved in robbery incidents.

By yesterday, detectives had arrested one suspect involved in the recent robbery cases.

Victims are said to have lost millions of money in incidents where they are forced to transfer huge sums of money from their mobile phones and through online banking.

The suspects have been targeting wealthy families within the area.

Two MCAs and asenior official with an international organisation are among the recent victims.