OPINION: Is Kenya turning into a crime capital under police watch?

NAIROBI,June 29 – Last week, a family in Lamu was thrown into panic and anxiety as their kin, Yasir Mahmoud Ahmed, was reportedly accosted out of his car by individuals believed to be security officers. Lamu County Commissioner has since denied involvement of security agencies in the disappearance of Yasir; pointing to a possible criminal operation.

Back in Nairobi, businesswoman Hafsa Mohamed Lukman was abducted from Eastleigh and dumped in Kayole as her kidnappers drained her bank accounts. Only a few days later, Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) presenter Shiksha Arora was strangled and mugged at the Globe roundabout flyover.

Weeks after going missing, security consultant Mwenda Mbijiwe is yet to be traced even as more cases of kidnappings, muggings, violent robberies and killings are reported by the hour. 

Terrorists are also staging their senseless acts, taking away lives of innocent Kenyans going about their businesses. Criminals and miscreant gangs are speedily turning Nairobi and other Kenyan towns into massive crime scenes, a situation that now has every Kenyan worried about their personal safety as well as safety of their properties.

A number of factors are driving the spiraling insecurity in the country. At the heart of the new wave is commercialization of insecurity. Young people have found it a convenient avenue to make a living. Cybercrime, muggings, robberies now provide stream of income to both elite and petty criminals. This also applies to numerous ransoms now demanded by abductors.

Secondly, a largely absent and indifferent police service has exposed Kenyans to the cruelty of the criminal underworld. Despite numerous reports on crime hotspots by members of the public, police often too slow to mount preemptive operations; only arriving after life or property has been lost with countless excuses.

Thirdly, weak investigative outputs by the police have seen many criminals released by the courts for lack of adequate evidence. The investigative lapses are only aiding spiraling insecurity as hardened criminals check in and out of police and court premises as they do hotels, using proceeds of crime.

Corruption within the police service is another factor fueling criminal activities in the country. Wayward security agents have chosen to look the other way when crime is underway after being bribed by the criminals. Several accounts of police colluding with criminals through hiring out firearms or providing protection are in public domain. 

Even more worrying is the emerging trend where security agents have into extortionists; haranguing members of the public with little recourse.

Finally, elected political leaders have abandoned their pledge to create enabling conditions for socioeconomic regeneration including security, employment, and youth empowerment. The economic meltdown on the backdrop of the excruciating Covid-19 pandemic has made life untenable for many Kenyans, forcing some people to turn to crime. 

An obsession with early political campaigns has impaired the government’s ability to focus on development programmes delivery for the benefit of the people. Tugging along a cortege of security detail, politicians have taken away the men and women who should be protecting the public, in return for banal political promises.

Security is a constitutionally protected right that every Kenyan citizen and resident should enjoy. It is the reason the country dedicates huge resources to the security agencies. Without secure and livable spaces, Kenyans cannot pursue any other objective.

This is therefore a call to police agencies to diligently execute their mandate in close collaboration with the public and restore the sanctity of life and dignity in the country.

The Police Inspector General must rid the service of opportunistic and criminal elements complicit in Kenya’s worsening security situation. Kenyans should not continue to suffer in the hands of the very people entrusted with the responsibility to protect them.

Equally important is the need to strengthen investigative process in order to pursue viable court cases that can result in successful prosecution and sentencing of crime offenders.

While the public is largely demoralized, and victimized, the citizens must find it rational to actively contribute to stopping criminal activities. Crime ignored is crime abated. In the fullness of time, we can only be safe by being proactive in preempting, reporting and rejecting the idea of crime. Other societies have succeeded in this endeavor, paving the way for similar experiences in Kenya.