Teen gang sucks life out of vibrant Tana River town
The Madogo town trading center in Tana River County. The Kayole teen gang attacks robs and harms people especially at dawn or dusk.
What you need to know:
- A power blackout that has persisted for the past 30 days has made matters worse.
- Residents leaving work at night have also mastered the art of negotiating with the delinquents for their security.
It is no longer safe to be out and about after dusk in Madogo town.
A marauding gang of teenage criminals christened the “Kayole Brothers”, has taken over the bustling urban settlement that used to be the pride of Tana River County as the only town that operated 24 hours a day in the region.
But now, when darkness falls, terrorised residents shut themselves in their houses hoping for the best but resigned to their fate.
By 6pm, businesses begin to close and by half past 7pm, the town yields to the darkness, opening the door for the teenage gangsters to reign.
A power blackout that has persisted for the past 30 days has made matters worse.
“I have had to retrench workers from my pub business because we can’t operate at night and running a generator has proved to be too expensive,” Mr Japheth Mutua, who operates a bar in the town, told the Nation on Monday.
Gang protection fees
For those willing to risk it and run their businesses till daybreak, they must pay the gang protection fees.
The criminals charge Sh1,000 per night for bar owners and Sh500 for shopkeepers and hoteliers. The protection fee is, however, valid only while within the premises and the client's safety while outside is not a guarantee.
Residents leaving work at night have also mastered the art of negotiating with the delinquents for their security.
“I part with Sh100 every day to be escorted home. Once I leave work, I must tag along with one of them or else I become a target,” said Ms Anne Silwa, a shop attendant.
Tana River County Police Commander Ali Ndiema told the Nation that patrols have been intensified.
He notes that whereas the teen gang dubbed the “Kayole Brothers” is a menace, security officers have reduced their activities and influence around the town.
“We are doing our best and appeal to residents to support us by reporting cases of crime and helping us to catch these characters instead of tolerating them," he said.
Further, he warned that parents of suspected gang members will equally be held responsible for crimes committed by their children if they are arrested.
“Every parent should know where their children are. If we get bad reports or we happen to arrest any child involved in criminal activities, the parent will also be charged for conspiracy," he said.
Madogo is in darkness because the electricity poles for the main power line fell as a result of the flooding along the Madogo-Garissa highway.
The lack of power has inconvenienced residents. The few people who are able to own solar panels are charging phones for people at a fee of Sh50.
Clean water has also become scarce because electric water motors cannot be used as a result of the blackout. Locals are forced to buy water from vendors or fetch from River Tana amid a cholera crisis in the county.
"We are suffering, businesses are making big losses and others cannot operate. People are losing jobs. This is killing our economy," said Hashim Bamaru, a resident.
Schools are not able to have evening preps, and management of the learning institutions are spending a lot of money to buy water.
Residents say that their appeal to Kenya Power Company to restore electricity has fallen on deaf ears.
Restoring power line
"Nobody is explaining to us the difficulty in restoring the power line. We are not seeing any explanation online nor have heard anything on the radio. They just decided to ignore us," said Mohamed Abdikadir, a resident.
Human rights activists have announced a week-long protest if the situation is not resolved at the end of a seven-day ultimatum.
“These people have a right to Kenya Power services and they have a right to proper explanation. If Kenya Power is having a problem we should be told so that we can know the way forward,” said James Rashid, secretary-general Civil Society Organisations Network.
Kenya Power County Manager Silas Limo said flood waters from River Tana knocked down electricity poles.
"We are keen to restore power in Madogo, but the area is still flooded, so it may take time to fix the poles. I appeal for patience,” Mr Limo said.
