Police have arrested a 14-year-old teen in Mutithi Mwea Sub-County, Kirinyaga County, over alleged links to a gang that has been wreaking havoc in the area.
The boy who sat for his Kenya Certificate of Primary Examination (KCPE) exams in 2023 was said to be bullying fellow students in school, forcing them to steal from their parents.
Aggrieved parents reported the minor to the Mutithi Police Station, and the case was later referred to Kiamaciri Police Station for further action.
Irate residents applauded the police for apprehending the boy and the gang, which had posed a menace to their businesses and well-being.
"My child had dropped out of school because he was afraid of being attacked by the gang leader. I know his parents well because he was a Class 8 last year," one of the parents, PM, complained.
Several other reports by residents and parents from the boy's school provided corresponding information. One parent lamented that his child almost committed suicide after being coerced to bring them Ksh6,000.
Police urged teachers and parents to collaborate in disciplining children. In Kenya, minors found guilty of offences can either be sentenced and detained at juvenile correction facilities or released in cases which can be solved amicably.
Kirinyaga County has been in the headlines lately, with rising cases of insecurity as a 70-year-old woman was found murdered in cold blood in her house in Kariua Village on Monday.
The incident left villagers astonished as the woman was discovered naked in her house, having sustained head injuries.
It was alleged that the assailants robbed the woman of Ksh10,000 that she had received from a self-help group.
Still, within the county, in a separate tragic accident, a boy drowned while swimming at a local hotel on New Year’s Day in Kagio.
