The Coast Regional Police Commander (RPC), Ali Nuno, has directed local police officers to deal ruthlessly with machete-wielding criminals, who have been terrorising residents of Mombasa and Kilifi counties.
The directive follows a resurgence of violent machete-wielding gangs, some of whom were captured on Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras robbing and injuring innocent members of the public in the neighbouring coastal counties.
Nuno assured residents that the region remains calm, with security heightened across the Coast, while warning youth against engaging in criminal activities, noting that police will ultimately catch up with them.
“You have only two options, as we normally say. You desist and accept to change. If you are not going to accept that, the second option is to move out of the entire coastal region,” he said.
The police commander warned the marauding criminals that their days were numbered and that police will do whatever it takes to restore order and sanity in the region.
Members of the public were urged to refrain from raising false alarms through the circulation of videos, warning that this could jeopardise investigations and enable suspects to flee to their hideouts, as some criminals were still at large.
However, Nuno said the police were actively pursuing the suspects on the run, assuring the public that all available government resources will be deployed to guarantee their safety and security.
“We have successfully made a breakthrough in the recent cases. I want to inform and appeal to the general public that there was no need to circulate disturbing messages.
Mombasa has been calm. For the last three to four months, we have not had any panga incidents or panga boys,” stated Nuno, after visiting the scenes of two recent incidents involving a machete-wielding gang in Mombasa and Kilifi counties.
The latest incident occurred on January 28, along the busy Biashara Street in Mombasa, where a night guard was injured by criminals, who injured and robbed him of his mobile phone while he was watching an English Premier League match.
The suspects were captured on CCTV before escaping on a motorcycle and later committing robbery with violence and burglary at a shop in Mtwapa, Kilifi County.
During the attack, they injured an 18-year-old shop attendant, who was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit and has since been transferred to the general ward, where he is recuperating.
Police officers swiftly swung into action, aided by CCTV footage retrieved from the shop. Members of the public identified one of the suspects as a boda boda rider, Mustafa Juma, who later led officers to their hideout in Vipingo, where Bubbline Kazungu and Abdul Matano were arrested.
A thorough search of the premises led to the recovery of six mobile phones, eight national identity cards belonging to different individuals, two Somali swords, two pangas, and a cash bail receipt bearing Mustafa Juma’s name.
The receipt was linked to an attempted robbery with violence case, in which Juma had an active arrest warrant.
Under interrogation, the trio led detectives to more accomplices, resulting in the arrest of Swale Mwarauka, Mohammed Juma, and Hamisi Rama at a separate residence.
A search of the second hideout uncovered 18 large rolls of cannabis sativa, a weighing scale, and Sh7,000 in cash, believed to be proceeds of crime.
All six suspects were later escorted to Mtwapa police station for processing before being arraigned in court.
Detectives were granted 14-day custodial orders to complete investigations, even as authorities tighten the noose on violent crime and ensure the suspects face the full force of the law.
Kimathi Nicholas, the shop owner, praised the police for their swift response that led to the arrest of the suspects, noting that the criminals are well known within the neighbourhood.
A Mtwapa resident, Dickson Kamlesh, also commended the police for their timely intervention, urging officers to intensify night patrols and apply force where necessary to enhance security in the area.
By Sadik Hassan
