Wave of crime as officers protest colleagues' sack

By Cyrus Ombati
A new wave of crime has emerged in Nairobi amid claims of a silent protest from police units charged with confronting armed gangsters.
More than seven motorists were carjacked on Sunday night as residents of some parts of the city claimed they have been left to the mercy of criminal gangs. And on Friday and Saturday, more incidents had been reported in Westlands, Eastlands and Parklands.
Officers from the anti-armed crime unit are said to be unhappy with the suspension of their colleagues who were accused of ‘wrongfully’ killing crime suspects on Lang’ata Road.
Some of the officers are said to be jamming police communication system hence hampering police operations in the city since Thursday night as part of the protest, police commanders told The Standard.
The communication system helps in co-ordination of police operations and response to scenes of crimes in the city.
A senior police officer, who spoke under condition that his name is not revealed, said junior officers are staging a go-slow and hurl epithets whenever they hear a senior officer giving a crime-related command.
"They usually tell the commanders off and ask them to call (George) Saitoti (minister for Internal Security) and Martha Karua (MP for Gichugu) to go and talk to the gangs terrorising residents. It is a worrying trend," said the officer.
Extra-judicial killings
Prof Saitoti announced the interdiction of six officers who were caught on camera shooting the Lang’ata Road suspects, while Ms Karua has been vocal on the case and many others where officers have been accused of extrajudicial killings.
She raised the issue in Parliament last week seeking to know why police kill and not arrest suspects.
As the go-slow by junior officers continues, crime spiralled out of control at the weekend.
The latest victim of the gangs runs a petrol station in Kileleshwa area. It is said he was shot in the neck after he declined to surrender money to a gang of four at about midday on Sunday along Riverside Drive.
The thugs robbed him of Sh290,000 and shot him a few kilometres from the Kileleshwa Police Station. The businessman is admitted to a city hospital ICU.
"They shot him in the neck after he reportedly refused to co-operate. We are yet to get the gunmen but investigation is on," said Kilimani DCIO Mwenda Itiaba.
Earlier on Friday and Saturday, incidents of carjacking and robbery had soared across the city.
Mugging incidents also increased at various matatu termini as some of the officers supposed to check on them stayed away.
Police said the number of incidents reported were the highest to happen on a single day in the city since the beginning of the year.
Thugs run amok
"The incidents were slightly higher but we want to address them once and for all. We have mobilised personnel to do the work," said Nairobi PPO Anthony Kibuchi.
The incidents were reported in Kilimani, Westlands and Eastlands. And another gang was reported to have shot dead two men in Parklands.
Thugs ran amok and killed Abdul Latif, 19, as he drove his friends from a party before Mr Hashim Sadik was killed in a separate attack involving the same thugs.
Abdul was not aware gangsters had raided an adjacent court and with police in pursuit, they were desperate for a getaway car.
The gang had tried to carjack a motorist but police who were alerted thwarted their attempt forcing them to abandon it and dash for Abdul’s.