Fear has gripped residents of Kiratina Estate following a recent upsurge in criminal activity that has left one person in Nakuru Level 5 Hospital with stab wounds.

According to reports, the victim was ambushed by unknown men on a motorbike. Other robberies have also been reported.

Mtaa Wangu visited the estate to get a true picture of the situation. We find several youths hanging out in miraa joints, commonly known as baze.

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The tension in the air is palpable and most of the women who run the stalls, including Mama mboga, speak in low tones, perhaps for fear of victimisation.

The majority of those we asked to be interviewed refused. But we were able to get some information from a few boda boda operators.

They say that crime has indeed returned to Kiratina and that they have reported the incidents to the police, but that few arrests have been made.

John Mwangi, one of the Bodaboda operators, says they have now decided to secure the area by patrolling the compound.

"After our officer was attacked, we decided to take the matter into our own hands and that is why we have these constant patrols. We will not stop until all the criminals are apprehended," said Mwangi.

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He revealed that 6 suspected members of a criminal gang had already been arrested and taken to Teachers Police Station. Five of them were found with crude weapons, including machetes and knives.

What is shocking, says Mwangi, is that the suspects who carry out the attacks are young people known in the residents.

"They are young people we know and the challenge is that some members of the community have failed to report them or raise alarm," Mwangi said.

Geoffrey Mukua, another boda boda operator in the area, admits that there is insecurity and that their lives as operators are in danger.
According to him, the situation has caused many of them to lose money as they no longer carry passengers at night. This has severely affected their income.

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"We are very insecure we cannot operate late at night, even if your customers call you," he says.

These sentiments are echoed by Joseph Kiguna, who reveals that he was once threatened by the unruly young men in the area while working as a vendor.

When contacted about the rising cases of insecurity in Kiratina, Nakuru County Police Commander Samuel Ndanyi admitted that he had received information about it.

However, he was quick to call for patience to allow the security agencies to deal with the matter on the ground.

"We don't want it to look like we are arresting innocent people in the area. But I can assure you that we are going to do something about Kiratina because we are working on intelligence reports," Mr Ndanyi said.

pmambili@gmail.com

This is why residents of Kiratina estate are living in fear

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Pristone Mambili