Garissa County Commissioner (CC) Mohamed Mwabudzo has vowed to reign in criminals terrorizing Garissa town residents.
Mwabudzo said security personnel would conduct massive crackdowns on these armed criminals in order to restore order and peace in the area. He regretted the increased incidents of robbery with violence, thefts and knife attacks.
Speaking during Mashujaa day celebrations at Kunaso grounds in Garissa town, the CC directed national government administrative officers right from assistant chiefs to the deputy county commissioners to collaborate with other security agencies in order to apprehend and charge all those found culpable in a court of law.
In the recent past, so bad is the situation that a day hardly ends without a reported case of a person being attacked, robbed of his/ her valuables, or knifed after which they are left dead, or nursing serious injuries.
At the same time, insecurity in some areas of the town has deteriorated to an extent that even boda boda riders are no longer ferrying passengers there.
According to a police officer who sought anonymity, at least ten people have been attacked in the last five days, mostly in the outskirts of Garissa town.
Only last week, a lecturer at the Garissa Teachers Training College identified as Hillary Ochieng, was brutally murdered in the Bula Mzuri area as he was going about his business at around 6:30 pm.
According to eyewitnesses, the victim was stopped by a group of two young men posing as clients, one of them then proceeded to stab him in the chest. They then fled the scene without stealing anything from him.
He was left lying on the ground while bleeding profusely. Good Samaritans rushed him to the Garissa county referral hospital. He was, however, pronounced dead moments later.
Responding to the rising criminal activities, Mwabudzo said it was unacceptable for young people to continue robbing residents under the guise of unemployment.
“From today, it is the responsibility of the Chiefs, Assistant County Commissioners, the Deputy County commissioner and other security organs to work together to tame the rising crime and restore order in our villages. For the leaders and citizens, we must work together because security is the foundation of development,” he said.
“Unemployment is not an excuse for our young people to be criminals. We have small boys between the age of 15 and 25, who are terrorizing members of the public and robbing them of their valuables and this must end. It is not acceptable,” the CC added.
At the same time, Mwabudzo warned parents against supporting and shielding the children involved in criminal activities.
“If the parents have failed in their responsibility to raise you, we will work on you and this is a promise,” he warned.
by Erick Kyalo
