This archive report was first published on 30 November 2019.
For five months, a gang of young men on motorcycles has been terrorizing students and boda boda operators in Kakamega town, leaving a trail of death and pain in its wake.
According to victims, the suspects, who sometimes wear police uniforms, escape on motorcycles after attacking their victims. At least four students and four boda boda riders have lost their lives in the hands of the gang, while several others have sustained life-threatening injuries.
The gang has targeted students living in various estates in Kakamega, including Kefinco, Lurambi, Kakamega State Lodge, Murram, Maraba, Makaburini, and Sichirai. The victims have lost valuables such as gas cylinders, mobile phones, laptops, cash, clothes, and foodstuffs.
On November 20, two students, Olive Cheruto and Rashid Otieno, were attacked by two people riding a motorcycle armed with pangas near the highly guarded Kakamega State Lodge. Cheruto is nursing serious injuries at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret, while Otieno is admitted to the Kakamega County Teaching and Referral Hospital.
Recently, Moffat Ambunda, a third-year student, went missing for three days before his body was found at the Kakamega Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary with deep cuts on the head and legs tied with a rope. However, police claim he was killed by students after he was found stealing from a hostel at the university.
Despite the rising concerns, Kakamega Central Police Commander David Kabena dismissed claims that the estates are insecure, instead blaming students for the attacks. However, Masinde Muliro University Chief Security Officer Julius Mabia reported the cases to the police and met with the security team to address the concerns, including increased patrols.
