This archive report was first published on 10 July 2021.
Published on July 10, 2021, residents of Karuri village in Gatundu North, Kiambu County have been affected by a surge in cattle theft cases, causing them significant financial losses.
Small-scale farmers, particularly those with pregnant cows, are bearing the brunt of this intensified crime, which is forcing them to spend nights guarding their livestock against thieves.
According to the affected residents, the thieves have mastered the homesteads with expectant cows, transporting them by foot at night before loading them onto pickups and ferrying them to unknown destinations.
One of the affected residents, Maria Njoki, a 72-year-old widow, recounted how the thieves stole her 5-months pregnant cow, leaving her without her only source of livelihood.
‘The cow did not moo, and how they managed to steal it without me hearing is still a mystery. We are troubled by the increased disorder in this village where police are doing less to contain vices,’ Njoki said.
Locals from the affected villages have called on the police to intensify night patrols to arrest the growing vice and have also urged their area MP, Wanjiku Kibe, to highlight the issue in parliament for action.
