Senior Assistant Chief, Mang'u Location Beatrice Mbugua is warning motorists and motorcyclists against offering transport (lift) to strangers.
This comes amid revelations that a gang of robbers donning police uniforms and targeting private motorists is on the prowl along the busy highway.
Mbugua disclosed that two cases of armed robberies against motorists who had offered lifts to strangers had been reported to authorities in the past one week.
She said the first incident involved a truck driver, while in the second case a motorist driving a saloon car was relieved of his valuables by three individuals, he had offered a lift.
The National Government Administration Official (NGAO), however, assured that security agencies in Nakuru have intensified the manhunt for the criminals and are on high alert to ensure people carry out their daily activities in a secure and peaceful environment.
“We will not give space to these criminals to have a field day under the government’s watch,” the Administrator warned.
She urged the public to embrace their civic duty as watchdogs and help combat crime by supporting security agencies in identifying the gang members living amongst them.
“Work with the security agencies, so that we can ensure safety and security in our localities and the country at large,” Ms Mbugua appealed.
The Administrator said that in the first incident, a 39-year-old truck driver offered transport to a group of strangers, clad in police uniforms, who had requested for a lift.
However, when they arrived in Ngata area, three of them reportedly produced knives and ordered the driver to stop.
“He complied, and they took away his property which included cellphones and cash. Before dumping their victim in a maize plantation, they tied him with ropes,” Mbugua narrated.
The Administrator, who was addressing the public at Ng’ombe moja village, said that though the driver, who is still undergoing counseling sessions, was hauled into the plantation at midday, he was rescued at 6:30 pm, exhausted and dehydrated.
Mbugua stated that a similar incident happened in the Kiamunyi area, when a 30-year-old man offered a lift to three men.
“When he arrived at Kiamunyi shopping centre, he stopped the vehicle and told his ‘passengers’ that he had reached his destination,” she said.
The Senior Chief said two of the passengers produced weapons and ordered the motorist to drive on. He was later found abandoned along the highway.
The Administrator warned Kenyans against laminating official documents issued by various state agencies, as this tamperes with some security features such as stamps, embossed seals and watermarks, making them unauthentic.
Mbugua indicated that laminated documents cannot be stamped or certified as ink doesn’t stick to plastic.
“Some institutions may reject laminated documents or consider them tampered with. For instance, embassies in visa applications. The documents that are usually rejected range from birth certificates, marriage certificates to academic documents,” she explained
The Chief added, “We live in a global and changing world; therefore, the public currently needs to realise that their documents could be rejected by other global institutions or government agencies because they are laminated.”
Mbugua advised that those who have already laminated their documents should get a certified copy from the relevant institutions and or authorities.
“Instead of laminating, it is recommended to keep original documents in a clear folder or plastic sleeve without damaging their security features. If you need a protected copy, laminate only a photocopy of the document, never the original,” she advised.
