Detectives Pursue Vihiga Gang Terrorizing Locals

VIHIGA,Kenya, Nov, 1 – Detectives in  Vihiga, Hamisi sub-county are pursuing an armed criminal gang that has been blamed for causing havoc and mayhem within the region.

The gang which is armed with serious rifles has been terrorizing locals within Kaimosi University and its environs, with little being done to tame the marauding gang.

Apart from the reported robberies with violent cases, lives have been lost at the hands of the criminal gang.

At the homestead of Hillary Amalemba in Makuchi village, Hamisi sub-county, a family has been hard hit. Their kin was murdered by an armed criminal gang.

Investigators say the 30-year-old businessman was attacked by a gang of three armed men while at his business premises. They stole his mobile phone, more than Sh150,000 and an unknown amount of gold before shooting him dead.

“Why are suffering yet we have a government in place,” said a resident.

“We want to know what is happening. How can AK-47 be in the hands of normal people? we want  DCI to investigate this matter. Failure of which we will stage a protest in this area,” said a resident.

The gang was armed with an AK-47 rifle and a pistol. He was shot in the chest as he attempted to save his brother from the hands of his killers.

Police arrived at the scene only to find his bloody body lying on the ground. The gang had vanished in the darkness using an unknown motorcycle. This incident was reported on 29/10/2022 at around 8pm, at Cheptulu police station.

investigations reveal such cases have become rampant within the region. The gang has found a safe haven here, because of the rising population brought about by the establishment of Kaimosi university.

“As part of our response, we have beefed up patrols in that area, though the number is inadequate, with the resources we have we will be able to manage and enhance patrols. We will make sure there is safety within that environment of the university and its outskirts,” said Ruth Lagat, SCPC Hamisi.

Affected areas are Kaimosi University, Cheptulu market, Makuchi, and Shaviringa within Hamisi.

This past weekend, there was another robbery incident. the gang attacked this supermarket and shot at least 7 bullets into the wall. Fortunately, none was injured, but they stole an unknown amount of money. CCTV footage captured them as they escaped on a motorcycle.

Another victim, same story. Hussein Isaac Ibrahim was also attacked by the same gang at his supermarket. the gang broke into his supermarket and stole more than sh.1.5 million and goods worth thousands of shillings

Victims allege the gang has taken advantage because of a huge lapse in security and an increasing population. The area has more than ten institutions offering a variety of training programs and other services. The emergence of large-scale gold mining is another cause of insecurity here.

Peter Atsangu is another victim. He is still nursing wounds of how his son was killed in the same way. To date, justice has remained only a dream.

Locals here are blaming the security apparatus and the area leadership for not addressing this issue, which has become a terrible nightmare. 

All they want is for the national police service and directorate of criminal investigations to track down the gang and at least restore sanity, for their safety and that of their businesses.