One dead, four injured as boda boda groups clash in Kisii

A motorcycle rider has died while four others are nursing serious injuries at Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital following skirmishes between two warring boda boda groups in Kisii Town.

A house belonging to one of the riders was torched on Monday in retaliatory attacks that have left residents in shock and fear over their security.

Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital Chief Executive Officer Oimeke Marita said the rider succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday evening.

Kisii Governor Simba Arati, security team led by County Commissioner Tom Anjere and Police Commander Charles Kases condemned the chaos as he called the riders to order.

The county commissioner said they had arrested three suspects and are hunting for more.

“We are giving a stern warning to the politicians who are fanning the chaos. We will summon them despite their status in society and have them record statements,” said Mr Anjere.

Mr Arati said that the inaction by police on suspected criminals perpetrating the skirmishes is the major cause of the anarchy experienced in Kisii town for the last several months.

“What is happening in Kisii town is a well-organised syndicate. But the most unfortunate thing is that police are doing little to end the chaos. They are the ones protecting the suspected criminals,” said Mr Arati.

He added, “The failure of the DCI officers to execute a lawful order from Kisii court on one of the suspects displays outright impunity and total disregard of the judicial system, something that sends a dangerous message. The criminals are enjoying protection from the state and have become untouchables.”

The governor noted that the beating up of medical personnel in South Mugirango last month by armed goons suspected to have been hired by a politician and the failure by the police to arrest the attackers together with their sponsor has emboldened these criminals to believe that they are law unto themselves.

Kisii is slowly sliding into a lawless town dominated by vigilantes and criminal gangs born out of boda boda riders who have become accessories for politicians to use against their perceived enemies for political supremacy.

On Monday and Tuesday, business in a section of Kisii town was disrupted after the area was turned into a bloody battle ground where two rival boda boda gangs engaged in violence that left scores of people with serious injuries.

Although police were forced to fire guns in the air after the situation threatened to get out of control, residents believe that the officers have slept on their jobs because they fear arresting the protagonists who are said to enjoy tacit political backing from some local leaders.

So powerful have the gangs become in recent days that the national government administration and police officers dare not execute their constitutional mandate of ensuring law and order for fear of facing the wrath of the invisible political forces behind the emerging gangs.

Journalists have not been spared either, on Monday, one was roughed up and forced to delete photos and videos he had taken.

Recently, a court issued a warrant of arrest against one of the gang leaders but officers are yet to arrest him.

While the police appear not keen to cross the lines of these emerging criminal networks in Kisii, politicians are pumping huge sums of money to appease the militias who provide the much-needed violence against their perceived enemies.

Started as a means to bolster micro-economic stability and provide fast commuting in urban centers and rural communities, politicians in Kisii have hijacked the boda boda riders and are busy using them to perpetrate and perpetuate violence, which has spilled over to affecting innocent people.

“This is how Mungiki started in Central. The police and politicians turned a blind eye on their criminal activities only to react when it was too late. We are staring at a community turning into crime because the politicians and the police have decided to go to bed with the outlaws. What we witnessed today should not be allowed to continue in Kisii lest we all witness deaths of unimaginable numbers,” lamented a resident.

Some residents questioned why police had allowed suspected criminals facing court warrants to walk freely in town terrorising them.

“We were going about our businesses. The other group emerged and started attacking our fellow members. We saw them roaming the town with hoe handles—truncheons—and machetes hunting down anyone who does not belong to them. What I’m surprised about is that the police and national government officials responsible for maintaining law and order are watching as the situation deteriorates. We are at the mercy of these criminals,” said another resident.

“The man who was injured was innocent…he has been very badly injured simply because he was dressed as a reflector of a politician they have been fighting. We condemn this violence within our Municipality. We will not allow two or three people receiving money to cause mayhem. The government should know that this thing can turn into a monster that will swallow everyone, including those who are sponsoring them.”

The conflict between these two rival vigilante groups mirror those in early 2000 where there was Mungiki in Nairobi's Kariobangi North and the Taliban of Dandora.

These gangs metamorphosized into very strong criminals engaging in extortion, criminal activities and even gruesome murders against those who opposed their criminal ideology.

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