Fear has taken over the people living in parts of Mombasa, Kilifi, and Siaya counties following a series of violent robberies whose videos have gone viral across social media platforms.
The videos have shown just how criminal gangs have become. In some videos, the gangs are seen beating security guards in broad daylight. Others have shown the armed men raiding small businesses and walking away with goods as terrified people watch.
However, the National Police Service has moved in to assuage the fears of the public with promises of action being taken on the ground.
The Inspector-General Douglas Kanja has instructed police officers in those areas to act quickly and firmly on the criminals who are involved in these attacks.
In Tononoka, Mombasa County, police arrested two suspects after a security guard was attacked by young men with weapons. Police also recovered knives and a machete at the crime scene, although the second suspect is still missing.
In yet another case, a shop owner in Mtwapa, Kilifi County, suffered loss due to a robbery attack by a gang who raided the shop and beat a security guard. The gang, who were armed with machetes, was caught by a CCTV camera as they stole from the shop. Eventually, three suspects were arrested and some of the stolen property recovered.
Nevertheless, an incident that seemed to have generated the most concern among the Kenyan population occurred in Bondo in Siaya County. This was caused by the fact that in this region, there was circulating a video showing men attacking a shop with one of the men carrying an AK-47 rifle, and consequently, there were numerous questions among the locals with many asking where the gang got the rifle.
The police have since confirmed that a special team of detectives has taken a look into the issue, and to a certain extent, some progress has been made.
They also call on Kenyans to keep reporting any suspicious characters, as this is helping them arrest the perpetrators.
