At least 10 people have been arrested in connection with the gruesome murder of a Red Cross volunteer.
Amina Bakari, 30, was killed in Mbwajumwali village, Lamu East, four days ago.
She was a Kenya Red Cross volunteer and Nyumba Kumi official. She was hacked to death by unknown assailants as she closed her shop in the village at around 11pm.
Her body was discovered by neighbours. They took her to Mbwajumwali dispensary but she was pronounced dead on arrival.
The villagers have urged the police to initiate a door-to-door crackdown to find Bakari's killers so they are brought to boo.
Village elders suspect she was killed by one of the drug gangs in the region.
Lamu East, especially Mbwajumwali, is a den of drug peddlers and criminals.
Most attacks and killings are directly linked to drugs. So dire is the situation that many villages are controlled by drug gangs. The dreaded gangs are well known to the police and residents.
A successful crackdown by police had led to the arrest of 10 people suspected to have directly taken part in the gruesome murder.
On Thursday, Lamu county commissioner Joseph Kanyiri said the suspects were arrested in Mbwajumwali village. He said some suspects were found in possession of drugs. This confirmed the suspicion that she was killed by a drug gang.
Kanyiri said the suspects were being interrogated and would be arraigned on charges of murder. The police are still after other suspects.
Residents have been urged to help identify and report the killers so they can face the law.
“It’s a matter that’s actively under investigation. We have 10 people in custody and are still hunting for more. We shall have them in court for murder soon enough. We, however, will need the help of the public to report some of these suspects because we know they are known,” Kanyiri said.
The county security boss has warned residents against walking in public places armed with crude weapons. He said the police have been directed to arrest those violating the ban so they are prosecuted for endangering lives.
“We are talking of pangas, machetes, swords, knives and even clubs. The ban must be respected,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mbwajumwali villagers have appealed to the national government to set up a police post in the village to tame the high number of drug gangs in the region.
