Elections: Couple arrested for planning machete attack
Kilifi County Police Commander, Nelson Taliti.
A couple and a shopkeeper have been arrested for allegedly planning to disrupt the August General Election as more security personnel are deployed in Tana River County.
The police found nine new and sharpened machetes in a house belonging to the couple in Mwenda Pole village in Adu ward, Magarini Sub-County.
Kilifi County Police Commander, Nelson Taliti said the three, Hasara Kajana (Shopkeeper), Gladys Pendo Kanyale and Hamisi Karisa Ngoa, will be arraigned on Monday for planning to commit a felony.
“We received an intelligence report from a Good Samaritan that a boda boda rider had dropped machetes to be used by a criminal gang in carrying out attacks at a shop belonging to the shopkeeper at Kathangani trading centre,” he said.
Mr Taliti said the machetes were to be used to attack a marked community in Tana Delta, in Tana River during the polls.
“It was a plan by a group of criminals who had plans to go and attack a community in Tana-Delta and force them out of the area so that they do not vote. They had their preferred candidate,” he added.
The county police boss said the couple got wind of their planned arrest and attempted to escape the area before they were later nabbed in a dragnet.
“We dispatched our officers immediately we received the information about the house that the machetes were locked in, but we found the owners had already escaped. The officers camped in the area until morning when they came. We found nine new sharpened machetes ready for use,” he said.
Mr Taliti warned criminals and supporters of politicians against plans to disrupt and cause insecurity during the polls and assured the public of their safety and security during the period.
“Residents should continue volunteering information that might lead to insecurity and disruption of peace during the election. Let anyone with such an intention to create insecurity know that the government is vigilant, and they will be arrested and taken to court,” he added.
Mr Taliti said they had more intelligence that the meeting for the planned attack was in Kilifi in a house belonging to a pastor at Matsangoni.
The government has beefed up security and deployed more security agencies, led by General Service Unit (GSU) and the Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU), in the county.
“Our security officers have enhanced our patrols, and any criminal will face the law,” he said.
Mr Taliti added that the team had mapped Chonyi and Mtwapa in Kilifi South Constituency, and Magarini as hotspots during the election.
