A
bloodthirsty gang that seems to have outsmarted security agencies in
the past year has left a trail of death and destruction in the South
Rift region.
Its mind-boggling
attacks in Bomet and Kericho counties have seen more than 15 people
murdered and dozens of women and children gang-raped, with the victims
robbed of their phones and money.
What
has emerged is that the attacks, which police have failed to contain,
target serving or retired teachers and their families.
11 VEHICLES
The residents, whose anger is palpable, accuse the police of complacency, and even complicity, in the crimes.
Meanwhile,
independent investigations have revealed that there are three different
criminal groups. The first comprises at least seven people, who break
into homes at the crack of dawn, then kill and rob their victims of
valuables.
The second group of two men and a woman are
involved in highway robberies, especially on the Kaplong-Bomet-Mulot
highway and the Kaplong-Litein-Kericho highway. They “offer lifts” to
commuters, whom they then attack.
The
third group, whose number is not known, steals cars in Bomet County,
where 11 vehicles have been stolen in the past two months, with no
arrests or recoveries made so far.
The
murder of Mrs Anna Chepkwony, 73, in Samoget village in Litein last
Wednesday by a four-man gang that seriously injured her husband, Mr
Richard Chepkwony, and a housekeeper, was just the latest of the daring
attacks. Mr Chepkwony, a retired teacher and politician, and the maid
are recovering at Litein AIC Mission Hospital.
Three
main suspects have been arrested, with one positively identified as the
mastermind of the attack. They are said to have attacked the family
believing that the couple had money sent to them by their children
working abroad.
LYNCHED
“We
have made a breakthrough in the investigations and hope to arrest more
suspects involved in the attack,” said Bureti Divisional Police
Commander Ali Abdi.
Mr Stephen Tanki,
the Sub-County criminal investigations officer, added: “Unlike in the
previous murders where we were groping in the dark, this time around we
have tangible evidence to sustain a conviction of the suspects in
custody,”
“The gang members killed
the grandmother after she allegedly identified them and called them by
name. She asked them why they were attacking the family yet they had
been hosted at the home and shared a meal with them on several
occasions,” said an officer involved in the investigations.
But they spared a young boy, whom they pushed under the bed and ordered to be quiet.
The residents took the law unto their hands and lynched a suspect who went to the homestead on Thursday morning.
The
latest attack occurred three kilometres from where a teacher, Mr Willy
Sang, and his wife, Evalyne, were murdered on the night of October 20,
2018, in an incident that shocked residents. Initial claims that the
killings were about a land deal gone sour or a family dispute were
dismissed by he police. Seven suspects were arrested.
MURDER
On
August 17, 2018, Mr Wilson Kamau Kibe, 53, a teacher at Changina
Primary School in Konoin Sub-County, was murdered and his body dumped in
a tea plantation a short distance from the school. The body had
injuries in the back, neck and face inflicted by a sharp object. The
victim’s mobile phone and wrist watch have not been found. No one has
been arrested.
Mr Leonard Sang, also a
teacher at Changina Primary School, was murdered by a gang that
seriously injured his wife and three children late last year.
His
wife, Ms Faith Njeri, was hoispitalised for three months at Moi
Teaching and Referral Hospital while her children, spent a month in
hospital. They were all cut in the head, neck and back.
Mr
John Mosonik Bosek, a teacher at Chemengwa Primary School in Chepalungu
Sub-County, was murdered on February 24, 2018 at the Sigor trading
centre. The murder remains unsolved.
Similarly,
the murder last month of Mr Johnstone Chirchir, 43, a teacher at
Lelechwet Primary School in Chepalungu, has not been solved.
A
senior police officer involved in the investigations said the criminals
randomly target families they believe have money in the house.
HELPLESS
“It
is very clear that these are not cases of revenge or business deals
gone sour, but what baffles us is the fact that the attacks are well
coordinated and executed,” said the officer.
A
female teacher was robbed of Sh 300,000 by a gang in Bomet town two
weeks ago. The same thugs pounced on a teacher at Kaplong Boys High
School, forced him to reveal his ATM PIN and withdrew Sh70,000 from his
bank account. His wife was forced to send Sh35,000 via M-Pesa to secure
his release.
“Despite the incidents
being reported to the police in Bomet and Sotik, with the registration
numbers of the vehicles being used indicated, no action has been taken,”
said Mr Paul Kimetto, the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education
Teachers (Kuppet) branch chairman.
Mr
Malel Langat, the Bomet County branch executive secretary, said the
victims are helpless because police have failed to crack the murders,
which have instilled fear and anger in teachers in the county.
“The victims’ families are demanding answers over the chilling murders of their loved ones,” said Mr Langat.
Rising cases of rape and defilement have rocked the region in the recent past.
VIA DAILY NATION
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