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The Abagusii is a community at war

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Published on Wednesday, 14 May 2008 16:46

Kisii has in the past three years been a theatre of violence with scenes of macabre lynchings perpetuated by a civilian gang purportedly committed to“cleansing the community of criminals.” What was formed by the provincial administration as a vigilante group to ostensibly check on rising cases of insecurity has turned into an ogre-a murderous oufit, whose criminal activities the Government appears either unable to control or has just given tacit approval of its operations terrorise, maim, scatter and execute those it perceives inherently criminal. And caught in the crossfire of a passionate crime war between the group popularly known as Kisungusungu and the real criminals are the innocent wananchi. This war has paralysed life in the area and stalled development. As the per capita lynchings soar to alarming levels, the only emotion that rules in the hearts of the people is the fear of knowing that death lurks somewhere, just waiting to strike any time from anywhere.

The Abagusii is a community at war with itself-on a self-destruction mode as the Government, the local political and religious leadership either watches helplessly or cheers on the combatants. The silence amidst the wailings, anguish and bloodshed from those concerned is too loud and a conspiracy against innocent and hardworking people. To understand the genesis of these ghastly extra-judicial lynchings which have become common place in Kisii one will have to look at the circumstances prevailing in the area days preceding the formation of the vigilante group. You have also to look into how it was formed, its modus operandi and what needs to be done to bring sanity in the area now sliding into the culture of impunity and jungle law. In its fromative stages, the group came into being to address a real problem of spiralling insecurity and this is why the provincial administration worked closely. With time this morphosed into a monster that was used to settle scores for people and to cover the ineffeciency of the law enforcement agencies in the area. As the group wento into a lynching spree, the local administration found itsef unable to contain it and found itself working to cover its nefarious activities. And this was the beginning of real trouble as the real gangs took advantage of the confusion to avenge the deaths of their accomplices. In mid 2003, incidents of insecurity had been reported in Bonchari Constituency, represented in Parliament by Zebedeo Opore. These incidents which targeted villagers included rape of women in front of their husbands and it degenerated into defilement of school girls by the criminals. Although these incidents had been reported, police failed to arrest or provide security to the local residents. A section of chiefs from the area broached the idea of forming a vigilante to provide security. This idea was sold to the newly posted District Commissioner, Abdullahi Leloon, who implicitly approved it.

By June 2003, about 30 villagers had been rounded up and brutally murdered by the vigilante group and over 200 houses had been burnt down. Several men who had been accused of being criminals fled their homes. In early July, the then chief of Bomorenda, the late Joseph Ombasa and the Assistant Chief of Bokeire sub-location, Benson Barini who were perceived to be sympathisers of the Kisungusungu, were accused of compiling a list of villagers who had been earmarked for extra-judicial execution. But before the plan was executed, leaflets were dropped in Suneka town warning the two chiefs to disband the murderous squad or those targeted would form their own militia to retaliate. They were given one week to do so. On July 7, 2003, Kisii DC, Leloon, overwhelmed by the massive killings and wanton destruction of property, convened a security meeting of all chiefs from the area and reportedly ordered for the suspension of the executions until further orders. He is also reported to have singled out Ombasa and Barini for a dressing down allegedly for mishandling what was supposed to be “a secret operation,” exposing its activities to the public. In a strange turn of events, the two never lived as they were attacked in their respective homes and brutally murdered. The administration then embarked on a face-saving random arrest of people it claimed had participated in the murders. Slain Kisii Municipality Councillor Livingstone Omoke who is reported to have been among the people targeted by the Kisungusungu was arrested. The others who had been listed for execution and were immediately rounded up include the former chief for Wanjare South, Henry Mokua, Kefa Orang’i, Boniface Machabe, police informer Kince Marando and Evans Omari. Others include Kisii- based freelance journalist Peter Makori (now in United States) and Assistant Chief for Bomwancha sub-location John Chore.

The murder of the two chiefs set the whole constituency into turmoil and the police and the administration were overrun by mobs who set ablaze houses of all the arrested persons save for Makori. Property worth millions of shillings went up in flames. Maize crops were destroyed and cows and other domestic animals slashed with pangas and left for the dead. In a state of panic, the administration and police allowed the mobs to continue in their destruction of property making Bonchari a jungle zone. Settlers in the area started fleeing as anarchy reigned with the police rendered helpless. Families of the arrested individuals were evicted from their homes and banished from the area.. To this day, they have never been allowed back and killings have become the order of the day at the slightest provocation and suspicion. The noble idea of Kisungusungu instead turned into the people’s worst nightmare. The first cases of murders, rape and arson by the Kisungusungu were reported from Bokeire sub-location towards the end of May 2003. During this time, a gang of youths raided the home of Mayore Onduko, a local pastor and accused him of being a thief. They arrested him at around 9:00 am and led him to a field where they beat him up before they slit his throat. Onduko’s elder brother, Monandi went to report the killing of his younger brother to the police, but he was instead arrested and charged with robbery with violence. While remanded at Kisii GK prison, Monandi’s home was raided and his wife and daughter raped in turns by the marauding Kisungusungu youths. All his houses were set ablaze and all food crops in his shamba destroyed. His entire family was banished and all his cows were slashed while some others were driven away by the attackers. His other brother, Omwange Onduko, who too went to seek police protection was also arrested and charged with robbery with violence. They spent close to two years languishing in prison facing bogus charges and by the time they were released, they had nowhere to go and are now living as internal exiles. The killings of this nature continued but every time the victims rushed to police to seek protection, they were quickly arrested and charged with fake charges of robbery with violence. Onduko’s cousin identified as Ochoki Bikani was also brutally murdered allegedly because he had been accused of being a thief.