Bomet County,
Saturday, April 13, 2024,
KNA by Kipngeno Korir
Residents of Longisa area of Bomet East have raised concerns over state of security in the region after a wave of attacks was witnessed in recent times.
The residents expressed fears that marauding gangs of armed robbers were robbing and terrorizing residents with impunity leaving a trail of destruction and injuries to their victims majority of whom were nursing machete wounds.
Pascal Korir said the gangs were riding unregistered motor cycles and had a tendency of hacking anyone who defied their orders to surrender valuables adding that the gangs operated as early as early as 9 pm.
“We as market women normally close our stalls at around 8 pm and that is the time we are met by these boys who have instilled fear in us,” she said.
The most affected parts are Olg’osuet, Emitiot, Kiptobit and Kembu roads, she said. Winnie Towett accused the police releasing suspects without prosecution adding that she suspected the security officer were colluding with the culprits.
Stanley Mutai said he was recently accosted by three men a few meters away from his home who were armed with a machete, rungu, axe and a slasher.
Mutai said he was perturbed on how daring the men were to threaten him at his home saying there was need to tame the menace before it was too late. Bomet East Police Commander Joseph Chesire refuted the claims of escalating insecurity at Longisa.
Chesire said the one incident he was aware of and which was formerly reported to the authorities involved a Kenya Defense Forces Officer who was attacked.
He said the officer was drinking at one of the bars and left in a motorcycle, with two others, which developed a mechanical problem before he was attacked by three individuals.
He said the officer was hacked before he successfully defended himself by snatching the machete from one of them and also cut one of them, before a police vehicle on patrol arrived at the scene.
Bernard Korir, the individual who was hacked by the KDF officer refutes the claims saying the officer was part of a gang they were supposedly pursuing on that 20th day of March.
He said two other individuals who in the company of the KDF officer fled the scene when they arrived with two others saying he hid in a bush as the police took his motorcycle.
Korir said he attempted to record a statement with the police over the incident but was quashed as the KDF officer had also recorded is version over the same.
Courtesy; KNA
