Fourteen stolen vehicles have been recovered and three prime suspects arrested as police in Uasin GIshu moved to tame rising crime in the region.
Uasin Gishu county commissioner Eddisson Nyale chaired a security meeting in Eldoret a day after Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii, Deputy Speaker Gladys Shollei and other leaders expressed anger over rising crime incidents in the county that is home to President William Ruto.
Nyale said they also recovered a gun that had been used in most criminal incidents in the region by the arrested suspects.
More than 20 armed robberies were reported in the town within two weeks, sparking protests from residents.
“We are warning all those who are still engaging in crime to surrender before we get to them,” Nyale said.
He was flanked by new county police commander Moses Mureithi and county DCI boss Peter Kimulwo.
The county security team pledged to ensure there will more patrols and that they will work with all leaders and communities to deal with crime.
Nyale also warned boda boda riders who work with criminals that tough action would be taken against them.
“We will consider such boda boda riders as criminals and deal with them as such,” he said.
While speaking at separate functions, Governor Bii and Shollei said some rogue police officers are involved in robbery incidents in parts of the town.
“We will not accept that to continue and we urge the new police chief to act immediately and ensure action is taken against the criminal gangs in this region,” Bii said.
Shollei spoke at Naiberi market, where residents recently held protests following a spate of robberies in shops and houses at the market.
“The OCS of this area must now go along with police officers who are either involved or work with the criminal gangs to terrorize our people,” Shollei said.
He said chiefs in the area will also be punished for failing to help curb the crime incidents.
Governor Bii said the county had for long been peaceful but the insecurity trend had been worrying in the recent past. He spoke in Kesses area, where he was with local MP Julius Rutto.
“In so many of the incidents, there are claims that police officers are involved and we will not accept the trend to continue in this county that is home to the President,” Bii said.
The governor said the insecurity problem was undermining his efforts to attract investors to the county and that plans to elevate the town to city status would also be affected.
“We will not attract investors if there is no safety in this town and we demand action by the police as soon possible,” he said.
Several M-Pesa shops have also been raided and robbed in the region.
However Nyale denied that officers were involved in criminal incidents, noting that those arrested were civilians who had been using illegal arms to terrorize residents.
Edited by EKibii
