Former Migori Women Representative Dr Pamela Odhiambo has urged the local authorities in the Macalder/Kanyarwanda area of Nyatike Sub-County to work with the local community to find amicable solutions to insecurity challenges in the area.
Macalder/Kanyarwanda is under tight security operation following the March 14, 2026, attacks on the Nyatike Police and the Nyatike Deputy County Commissioner’s office, where several police cars were vandalised, offices burnt, and several officers injured when the residents demonstrated about the deteriorating security in the area.
Pamela, who distributed food to the affected communities, said that while it was bad for residents to vandalise and attack government offices and officers during the recent demonstrations, the local authorities should find ways to work with the locals to address security challenges in the area.
She noted that while the frustrations and fears arising from insecurity are valid and must be addressed with agency, the attacks on properties and government institutions, as well as causing harm to officers, cannot and must not be justified.
Pamela said that such actions set the whole community back, undermining the very systems that the community relies on daily for order, service and development.
She expressed deep regret and offered her apologies on behalf of the Macalder/Kanyarwanda community to the injured government officers for the circumstances that may have led to such anger and desperation among their people.
She, however, appealed to the authorities to exercise restraint and mercy, especially to innocent residents who did not participate in those acts.
“We humbly call upon the security agencies to work closely with the residents to strengthen community policing, because security is a shared responsibility that can lead to sustainable peace, achieved through trust and cooperation between the people and the law enforcement officers,” said Pamela.
She also appealed for the full restoration of normalcy in the area to allow businesses to thrive again, hospitals to open up, and school-going children to be given an opportunity to do their end-of-term exams.
Raspier Achieng, a resident of Macalder/Kanyarwanda, said that the community is going through a tough time, especially women and children in accessing basic needs like visiting hospitals and markets.
She called upon the local authorities to halt the operation to allow children to return to school for their end-of-term exams, as well as allow businesses to operate for the economic development of the area.
By Makokha Khaoya
