Thika Town MP Alice Ng’ang’a yesterday urged authorities to be humane in removing street families and commercial sex workers in the proposed "clean-up" of the town.
She said these groups should have a fallback alternative to comprehensively solve this problem.
“I'm aware they are back into the streets and are getting into the nerves of the majority of residents. But the move to remove them must be humane, as some of them have no other source of livelihood. We need to first come up with a well-thought programme to empower them,” Ng'ang'a said.
She spoke in Thika town during a leaders’ forum spearheaded by Thika West deputy county commissioner Tom Anjere.
Ng'ang'a was responding to complaints from residents, who had requested Anjere to rid the street of families and commercial sex workers.
They said these two groups could a security threat. Ng'ang'a also appealed to the area security team to schedule forums for the Nyumba Kumi and community policing members to educate them on their roles and responsibilities. She said this would make the community policing more effective and improve the security in the area.
Ng'ang'a urged the national government to post more officers to the police posts put up with the CDF cash.
She said most of these posts are non-operational.
Ng'ang'a proposed that the public land set aside for a police station in Ngoingwa be developed into the Thika police divisional headquarters, since it has enough space to accommodate all the necessary facilities.
Meanwhile, the Thika town National Government Constituency Development Fund will construct a police station in Ngoigwa to take services closer to the people and improve security.
Ng’ang’a said they have allocated the funds for the project and the only issues is the tussle between them and some people claiming ownership of the land.
She urged the government to ensure the land issue is sorted for the project to start.
“That land was given to us by Deputy President William Ruto in 2013. It was subdivided and part of it was allocated for a school and a church. We were left with three-and-a-half acres, which some people now claim ownership to,” Ng’ang’a said.
She said the area has been having security problems, including rape and mugging cases.
“I commend the security team led by Anjere and Thika West police boss Erastus Muthamia for their tireless efforts to secure Thika. Their efforts have borne fruits and the crime rates have gone down tremendously,” Ng'ang'a said.
Ng’ang’a asked officers to tighten security on the Thika-Garissa highway, which extends all the way into Somalia. “There are suspicious characters, who get into the country through this road and when they know there is a barrier ahead they alight from the buses and walk. Police will be inspecting even the suspicious looking characters on foot,” Ng’ang’a said.
Muthamia told residents and chiefs to be on alert to protect public land from the grabbers.
“The area is vast and needs a police station and the efforts will not be hampered by land grabbers,” he said.