Residents of Kabula ward in Bumula subcounty of Bungoma have lamented rising insecurity after two boda boda riders were killed and their motorbikes stolen.
Led by Kabula ward boda boda chairman Silas Wekesa, the riders blamed the security personnel for their slow response to calls from area residents during the attacks.
“We have suffered a lot. Our members are being butchered by robbers at night. They pose as passengers only to turn against our members and kill them,” Wekesa said.
Wekesa called on the Bungoma county commissioner Stephen Kihara to speed up investigations and help bring to book the robbers killing and maiming riders.
He spoke at Malinda market on Sunday during the launch of the construction of a dispensary in the area.
Wekesa blamed Kabula police for sleeping on the job as area residents suffered at the hands of the marauding gangs.
“Police officers based in Kabula have let us down. Criminals are colluding with villagers to hurt us. The police should do their job instead of harassing chang'aa distilleries,” he said.
Area MCA Vitalis Wangila asked the county security team to hold barazas in the ward to find ways of stopping the killings.
“I can’t sit down and watch as my voters are being killed and their tools of trade and money are stolen. We need to empower our people to be self-reliant instead of subjecting them to such incidents which will lead to widespread poverty,” Wangila said.
Kabula chief Joseph Mwanja said that the rising insecurity will be addressed once and for all as they have criminals causing havoc in the region on their radar.
“The criminals responsible should just flee to save their lives. I am also advising boda boda riders not to carry passengers late at night because they will also be risking their own lives,” he warned.
(edited by O. Owino)
