Kisumu
  31/08/07
WHY POLICEMEN IN NYANZA ARE WASTED ON ROAD BLOCKS INSTEAD OF COMBATING CRIMES?

Commentary by Leo Odera Omolo

Although the communities living in Nyanza do appreciate the daunting task being undertaken by the police force in combating crimes in the region, they strongly abhor the idea of keeping many policemen and policewomen on the road, on traffic duties at the expense of fighting crimes and insecurity.

There are many unnecessary stoppage and road checks as well as road blocks being mounted by regular police and at times with the support of few administration policemen.

These police officers should be deployed in the streets of towns like Kisumu, Kisii, Keroka, Oyugis, Rongo, Migori, Siaya and Homa-Bay to stump out petty crimes such as mugging, pick pocketing, theft of mobile phones. They should be deployed at the main Kisumu Bus terminal where close to 200 thieves and pick-pocketers and muggers are known to be shamelessly operating with impunity.

It is even shameful that a motorist or a passengers traveling between Kisumu and Kisii town, a distance of only 70 miles passes or drives through close to 20 police check points.

Each checkpoint is manned by about three or four policemen armed with big guns, and yet very few cases of traffic offences are booked and taken to courts. Why?

Are these road check points meant for bribe collection only? With all due respect to our hard working Nyanza PPO Mrs. Grace Kaindi , some of the police check points are uncalled for and should be dismantled and the officers manning such places should be re-deployed elsewhere to assist the public in stumping out crime waves in town and in the rural locations.

A case in point is the Gusii region where a band of thugs have styled themselves as “Sungu Sungu” outfits, and roaming about in the villages at night, executing innocent people under the pretext that the victims were involved in criminal activities without giving them a chance to defend themselves before the court of law.

Distance between Kisumu and Ahero town is only 12 miles or close to 20 km but it is not uncommon to see several road blocks manned by between 4 and 6 policemen idling themselves and during the heat of the day time, these officers take shelters under the nearby trees. And soon after Rabuor market there appear another three policemen stopping vehicles for checking. But before one enters Ahero town there is another road block.

Before the Kisumu-Kisii road just outside Ahero police station, there is another permanently erected road block. Another road check-point is located between Ahero and Katito Market. And before a motorist enters Sondu at the junction of Nyabondo road, there is a police traffic check point.

Right in the middle of Sondu Market, a road-block is permanently erected at the junction of Kericho-Kisii - Oyugis road within Sondu Market.

As if these check points are not enough ,one spots another check point between Sondu and Chabera Markets located hardly 3 miles apart. After Chabera there is another permanent road check point at Othoro and another one below Kadongo Market at the junction of Oyugis - Nyamira and also at Ober Market and before Oyugis town at the junction of Kendu-Bay Oyugis Road. As you drive towards Kisii a road-block is permanently erected outside Oyugis and also at Nyamataro before the major police check points which is ever permanent at Daraja Mbili junction of Kisii-Migori and Kisumu-Kisii road.

The situation becomes more more pathetic when one reaches Gesoso Police Post on Kisii Suneka road. Gesoso is only 3 km from the Daraja Mbili junction. But there is another permanently erected road block, though Gesoso Police Post was originally meant for checking the criminal activities of cattle rustling in Bonchari. It has now turned to be an extortion point.

In one morning a lone policeman walked along the road, not even wearing police traffic uniform. The lone constable was seen stopping Nissans, taxis or matatus and asked for money. Fortunately he extorted 100/- from unsuspecting matatu conductors and immediately vanished into the nearby banana plantations never to be seen on the road again. The reason why? He had succeeded in pocketing something for his breakfast!!

Between Suneka and Rongo a very short distance, a motorist would find police check points at the junction of Tabaka - Rongo road and also at Kamagambo SDA mission and at the gate of Rongo town.

Motorists driving on to Migori would meet another road check point outside Rongo Town at the junction of Kangeso Secondary School, only 400 yards from Rongo town. Another check point at Ranen and between Rongo Market and Awendo town, a distance of 5 miles there are two road check points with the major one permanently erected at the junction of Sony Sugar Factory and Awendo Town.

Between Awendo and Migori a distance of 16 miles there are three police check points.

I personally counted what could be an eyebrow raising figure of policemen manning these check points to 53 men and women in uniform. This figure is shocking when it is taken into account that Kenya is experiencing acute shortage of policemen to protect the communities adequately.

And even in a town like Kisumu one reporting a petty crime such as mugging or theft of luggage at the main bus terminus would be turned away at the station with a word ‘’our officers are busy in the field or we are short of policemen and women, and yet many officers are sent to idle themselves on the highways.

Policemen in Molo, Kericho and Nakuru have on occasions bumped themselves onto huge consignment of bhangs being transported by road from either Busia border town or Migori and Isibania border towns destined to Nairobi. How do these people pass through roads between Kisii and Migori and between Kisumu and Busia and these places have dozens of heavily armed officers manning the roads day and nights in road blocks and other police check points?

The Internal Security Minister John Michuki owe the public an explanation why the services of policemen and women are put to waste whereas criminal elements continue harassing members of the public at will!!

Traffic policemen are everywhere even on the small feeder and access roads leading to busy markets like Oyugis, Awendo, Rongo and Keroka, and are particularly very active on market days.

I am sure Kenya is not a police state.

The country is experiencing serious insecurity, therefore the few policemen available should be put to good use in combating crime waves.

Ends.
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com .