• Residents say the murders started after the government imposed the 7pm to 4am curfew in 13 counties in the lake region to curb the spread of Covid-19.
• On Sunday, Kevin Owuor, a teacher, was found dead. He had been missing since Friday evening.
Image: MANUEL ODENY
@ManuelOdeny
Migori residents are living in fear, following a rise in murder cases in the county.
They say the killings have escalated since the government imposed the 7pm to 4am curfew in 13 counties in the lake region to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Migori is one of the counties in the region.
The latest incident was on Tuesday morning, when residents of Dago Kouma village woke up to news that herders had discovered the body of an unidentified woman in the area.
The woman had been stripped naked. She only had a necklace and a bracelet.
It is not clear if she was murdered elsewhere and the body dumped in the area.
The woman's murder was the third in two weeks.
“We don’t know the woman. She looks slightly over 20 years old. She appears to have been strangled and body dumped the previous night,” resident Charles Ameso said.
A boy who went to graze cows in the morning at a swamp saw the body and alerted the police.
On Sunday, Kevin Owuor, a teacher, was found dead. He had been missing since Friday evening.
His family reported the matter to Migori police station. Students from Kakrao Technical Training Institute stumbled upon the body.
"The 31-year-old father of one saw off one of his neighbours on Friday evening but did not return home," Upper Kakrao assistant chief Wilfred Onyango said.
The administrator said the man may have been killed elsewhere and his body dumped in a thicket a few metres from his home.
"There was no trace of blood, but there were several panga cuts to his head. We suspect the assailants dumped the body in the thicket next to his home for easy identification," Onyango said.
On June 25, a farmhand was found murdered at Kimaiga estate in Migori town.
Suna Central chief Caleb Ombura said the body was discovered by traders in the morning after they followed a trail of blood, which led them to the scene of the murder in a maize plantation. There were signs of struggle.
Residents said the murders are most likely carried out during curfew hours as police officers allegedly retreat to stations, leaving gangs to rule the estates.
“From eight at night we are at the mercy of gangs. Since the 7pm-4am curfew came into force, gangs have been terrorising us,” resident Jackson Oyatta said.
Speaking to the Star on the phone on Tuesday, Awendo MP Walter Owino said since the new curfew rules were put in place by President Uhuru Kenyatta, there have been many cases of insecurity.
“Police patrols end by 8pm when they have ensured the curfew rules are followed, afterwards it is the gangs who rule towns,” Owino said.
He said reported cases of muggings, house break-ins and assaults have been on the rise and called for more police patrols in Migori, Awendo and Rongo towns.
Suna East deputy county commissioner Kibe Maguta said they have launched investigations into the recent spate of insecurity. He promised increased patrols.
“We are on high alert. We have started investigations to unearth what transpired and get suspects behind the attacks and ascertain if there is a gang,” Maguta said.
Uriri police boss Peter Njoroge said they already have special intelligence gathering information on the attacks. He said police are working to apprehend criminals who operate during curfew hours.
Edited by A.N