This archive report was first published on 10 May 2020.
Former Nyatike MP Edick Anyanga has called on Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai to investigate a gang of police impersonators who have been extorting and harassing Kenyans in Nairobi for not wearing masks.
Speaking to Standard Digital, Anyanga, who became a victim of the gang over the weekend, narrated how he was accosted by a group of men claiming to be police officers at a pharmacy shop in Nairobi's Karen area.
According to Anyanga, the group, which consists of heavily-built men aged between 35 to 40, claims to be enforcing the government's directive for Kenyans to wear masks. However, they take advantage of the situation to extort and harass unsuspecting members of the public.
Anyanga alleged that the gang provokes their victims, especially political leaders, to react so that they can take photos and use them to intimidate them on social media.
“The moment you react by shouting back at them, pushing them or reaching for a gun if you are armed, their members at vantage points will take photos which they later use to extort you,” Anyanga said.
He warned that if not tamed, the criminal activities associated with the face mask directive will erode the gains made in the fight against the spread of the virus in the country.
On April 10, 2020, Mutyambai directed all Kenyans to wear masks and cautioned those who will fail to comply that they risk a fine of Sh20,000 or a six-month jail term or both to bolster the war against coronavirus.
