CONFUSION AS NYANZA POLICE GET ORDERS TO ARREST KILLERS OF A SUSPECTED THIEF

 BY SAMUEL OWIDA

Pressure is building within the police service in Nyanza to go offensive to identify and arrest a section of the mob who lynched four dreaded suspects in Oyugis in Homa Bay County following a spate of crime wave that had hit the town for seven months.

The Oyugis residents who have been on the receiving end despite several pleas to the security agencies took law into their hands and decided to flush out the suspects who hailed in the spiral slums of Jua Kali, Aloo and Masogo estates.

A police source from Kisumu intimated that a senior police officer in Nairobi had given a firm instruction to Nyanza PPO Mr. Joseph Oletito to ensure that the ring leaders of the Oyugis mob are arrested and charged in court.

“A politician from Kasipul constituency is behind the pressure to arrest the alleged leaders of mob as a way of settling political scores with the incumbent leadership,” said police officer who didn’t want to be named for fear of the reprisals.

 But in a swift rejoinder Mr. Oletito dismissed the allegation as untrue and far-fetched.

“How can I be under pressure yet I’m in my rural home….to the best of my knowledge that is pure propaganda, it is the County Commandant who should be under pressure as the officer in charge of the county,” said Oletito.

Addressing the media over the weekend, two Members of Parliament Oyugi Magwanga( Kasipul) and Silvance Osele (Kabondo-Kasipul) hit out at the security agencies and accused them of inept saying their conduct had left residents vulnerable with no option but to lynch the suspects.

The two legislators condemned police act of trying to intimidate members of the public by arresting an innocent taxi driver for no a parent reason yet he has never involved in any act of felony while the nine other hardcore criminals are still at large after they fled the town.

“Nine well known criminals are at large and police know them very well. Instead they turn hit on innocent wananchi who are critical of their deliberate failure to curb insecurity” Magwanga added.

“Let’s take for example the case of the dreaded gang leader Jakoti who was lynched early last week which police officer did not know his operations?” “I gave relevant details about him to senior police officers more than a year ago and kept on remind District Criminal Investigation officer and the OCPD, but no action was taken at all,” said Magwanga.

The crime in Oyugis has seen more than four people killed including Oyugis Court Prosecutor Mr. Salim Kibyegon, several hundreds sustain injuries and the business from the commercial hub of Homa Bay County nosedive. Three police officers who were accomplices of the terror gang were named by the slain suspects and were subsequently deployed to Kisumu.