A section of Karatina town in Nyeri County.
Mathira Constituency in Nyeri County, divided into two administrative units with 104,492 registered voters by 2022, is one of the most policed areas in the devolved unit with six police stations and at least 18 police posts.
Comparatively, Kieni Constituency which is four times larger, has only four police stations while Nyeri Town Sub-County has one central police station. The vast Tetu Sub-County is served by four police stations.
Yet, in recent weeks, Karatina, the headquarters of Mathira Sub-County, has witnessed a worrying upsurge of crime, raising the question of the effectiveness of its policing.
Seat of power
Residents and members of the business community in the town and larger Mathira region say they expected the area to be among the safest in the country since it is the "seat of power".
This is because Kenya's top security officials — nominated Police Inspector-General Douglas Kanja and Chief of Defence Forces Charles Kahariri come from the area.
Mr Kanja is the immediate former Deputy Inspector-General of Police and previously served as General Service Unit (GSU) commandant.
Chief of Kenya Defence Forces General Charles Kahariri (left) and the acting Inspector-General of the National Police Service Douglas Kanja.
Mathira also hosts the historical Sagana State Lodge, which is a walking distance from Wamunyoro village, the rural home of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
The growing insecurity comes at a time when Karatina Town witnessed intense weekly anti-government demonstrations which residents say had been hijacked by criminals.
In a span of two weeks, two major electronics shops located in the central business district were broken into at night, with residents questioning the effectiveness of night police patrols.
Several incidents of mugging and robbery with violence have also been reported.
Residents said commotion during some of the burglaries could be heard from far, including the Karatina Police Station which is about 300 metres away from one of the affected businesses.
Living in fear
A spot check by Nation established that members of the local business community, especially those operating electronic shops and supermarkets, are busy reinforcing their premises with heavy metal grills due to fear of break-ins.
“We are living in fear of being attacked. It is no longer safe here since you don't know when they will strike. The government should do something urgently before it gets out of hand,” said Mr Patrick Kariuki Kiruthu, a hardware shop operator.
Mr Francis Hura, local chairman of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, reckons there is a correlation between the increase in criminal activity and recent demonstrations that rocked the area, which he says were hijacked by thugs who have taken advantage of lax security controls.
“The current situation is not a good environment for doing business. We are on edge. The government should move in fast to curb this criminality,” he said.
When contacted for comment, Mathira East Sub-County police commander Samson Leweri said no arrests have been made following the recent spate of crime. However, he confirmed that members of the business community met with security teams and had expressed their concerns.
“We are on it...the incidents are under investigation. I assure residents that we shall get to the bottom of this,” he said.
Last month, the Nyeri County Commissioner Pius Murugu told journalists that Mathira is considered a “unique” area because it hosts the deputy President.
High police boss turnover
In the past year, Mathira East has seen its highest turnover of police bosses with five commanders, some of them serving short stints of two to six months, being transferred.
One of them, Ms Beatrice Nyaga, served for barely two months while Ephantus Kariuki, who was posted at the height of the crackdown on illicit brew, served for six months.
Two months ago, Mr Benjamin Boen was posted to the area but had hardly settled in before being transferred to Lamu County where he is the deputy county commander.
Security experts who spoke to the Nation see a link between the transfers and rising crime because the officers leave before they have time to settle in and tackle criminals.
