Migori County Commissioner David Gitonga accompanied by Migori Deputy Governor Joseph Mahiri on May 22nd held a security meeting held at the Customs office in a bid to a complete overhaul of the Isebaniah police station to develop approaches in addressing deteriorating security in the region.
The meeting follows a spate of rampant thefts and burglaries in the town.
Speaking during the meeting Migori County Commissioner pointed out that officers overstaying in the area has led to the destabilization of the security in the town.
Gitonga further noted that a good number of police officers have overstayed in the region creating a mutual relationship with the suspects.
Overhaul
As part of putting in place new security measures, the Commissioner pronounced that they are going to do a complete overhaul and bring in new officers at the station.
“We will ensure that we address this issue of police officers overstaying in the region by transferring them and replacing them with new officers. We want to ensure we don’t lose the trust that the town dwellers have in the police,” he said.
The residents of Isebania town fueled accusations of collaboration between the police officers and the gangs to have intensified, leaving them feeling vulnerable and at the mercy of gun-wielding gangs.
The County Commander Mark Wanjala emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating that the recent rise in criminal activities in Isebania has also been fuelled by some locals owning illegal firearms.
Gitonga called on members of the public owning illegal firearms to surrender them to the police.
“We are requesting those with illegal firearms to please surrender them before we come for them because we will get you wherever you are. I know many will not believe how will catch you but will come for you,” he said.
He further urged businessmen to install CCTVs in their shops and other business premises.
“We appreciate the efforts of the business people in town who have installed CCtvs in their shops. We will collaborate with the county government to install more CCtvs to curb this menace of insecurity,” he furthred.
Border Escape
The Commissioner also assured that they will collaborate with the customs office to ensure that criminals who ran towards the border after committing criminal activities are caught and reigned in a court of law.
This is in addition to beefing up security personnel to help in guarding the porous border entry points, especially the ‘Panya routes’
Migori Deputy Governor Joseph Mahiri urged the residents to take care of the infrastructure especially the roads as they are the key to economic development.
This comes after the residents demonstrated burning tyres on the roads while condemning the poor security state of the town.
The security meeting concluded with an agreement to deploy additional resources and personnel to strengthen security along the Isebaniah-Sirare border.