Will an industrial park solve Kakamega’s rising crime rate?

There is concern about how to effectively tackle and end the rising crime rate in Kakamega county.

Data from the National Police Service for the year ended December 2021 shows the crime index in Kakamega was at 107 cases per 100,000 people.

The NPS explained that it calculated the crime index by dividing the number of reported crimes in a particular county by the total population in the area and then multiplying it by 100,000.

“For example, in the year 2021, there were 81,272 crimes in Kenya and the population is 47,564,296. This equates to a crime rate of 170 per 100,000 people,” reads the NPS report in part.

Recently, there has been an emergence of gangs that have been boldly terrorising residents in broad daylight in the region.

Last month, reports emerged of a gang in a Probox that would conduct drive-by robberies on shops along the Webuye-Kakamega highway at midday and stash the loot in their vehicles and drive away.

Residents around these areas would notice that a shop had just been robbed by gun-wielding gangs when they had long left the areas for their next target.

It is in this regard that the county of Kakamega intends to set up an industrial park that will create job opportunities for the youth and in the long run reduce criminal activities.

Deputy governor Ayub Savula believes that the increasing crime rate in Kakamega has been prompted by unemployment.

An industrial park is a portion of a city that is zoned for industrial use rather than residential or commercial needs.

Industrial parks may contain oil refineries, ports, warehouses, distribution centres and factories.

Savula said the park will seek to tap into Kakamega’s local economies including agriculture, education and food among others which will translate into job creation for many unemployed youths in the region.

“Many of the youth here are unemployed which makes them fall prey to criminal gangs. We shall set up an industrial park to provide jobs to thousands of them hence keep them busy while enabling them to eke a decent living," Savula said.

The objective according to the deputy governor is to stimulate the local economy and trigger job creation and MSME growth.

In 2015, the county of Kakamega acquired 48 acres of land at Matawa in Mumias West subcounty for the establishment of the industrial park.

The plan was to find strategic investors to set up agro-based factories to add value to maize, cassava, potatoes and beans.

The industries are projected to create 5,000 jobs for the residents, to boost their livelihoods.

Savula said the county government will upgrade and maintain the rural road network and erect security lights to ease the movement of people and goods while at the same time collaborating with security teams to enhance surveillance and beef up security.

Deputy county commissioner Ndaya Ngalia implored members of the public to volunteer information to the police whenever suspected criminals are arrested, as a way of ensuring justice is delivered to those affected.

Ngalia further mandated security committees across the county to identify areas where the National Police Service can set up patrol bases  to enhance the war against crime.

(Edited by Tabnacha O)