Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki, on Friday, March 1, ordered the deployment of a special security team in Kisii County following a series of violent attacks by gangs.
According to Kindiki, the special team is tasked with investigating and holding accountable the organisers, financiers, and perpetrators of criminal incidents recently witnessed in some parts of Kisii County.
During a security briefing with the County, Sub-County, and Divisional security heads, the CS also announced changes in security personnel.
The deployment is aimed at enhancing surveillance and reducing muggings and stabbings perpetrated by organized gangs.
Kindiki further directed security agencies to prioritise preventive security and enforce the law firmly without regard to the political affiliation or social rank of lawbreakers.
The deployment comes amidst a series of insecurity incidents witnessed in the region, which has left residents living in fear.
On February 11, a gang of between 15 to 20 people raided a village in Manyerero ward in Kisii county while residents were asleep and began demanding money from them.
According to the Nyumba Kumi chairperson, the gang targeted homesteads where elderly women reside, intending to seize funds from the social protection programme.
A victim recounted the incident, stating she was accosted upon hearing a commotion in her mother's house. Upon opening the door, she was confronted by at least four men.
The witness observed that the men were armed with sharp pangas and a metal rod. They employed the rod to strike her on the head and threatened to decapitate her if she raised the alarm.
On February 7, a General Service Unit officer was rescued from an angry mob by his colleagues attached to the Kisii Central Police Station.
Upon investigation, the officers were informed that the GSU officer was part of a gang involved in a robbery incident where items were stolen from a local mini supermarket.
