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LSK slams police for failing to contain vigilantes
- Details
- Published on Monday, 04 June 2007 03:00
LSK chairman, Mr Okong’o O’Mogeni, said vigilantes took up the work of the police after the latter failed in their duties.
Speaking in Kisii at the weekend, O’Mogeni said: "Due to failure by police to curb rising crime and insecurity in Kisii, the residents have resorted to the vigilante groups."
He condemned the lynching of suspects without allowing them to defend themselves, "which is tantamount to extra judicial killings".
The LSK boss called for immediate disbandment of vigilantes, which he termed illegal groupings.
He accused the police of escalating extra judicial killings by releasing suspects after either being compromised or undertaking shoddy investigations.
This move, O’Mogeni said, made the vigilante groups, who have the backing of the local community, to take over and kill the suspects on being released.
Vigilante groups have killed more than 20 people in the region since the beginning of the year.
But in a twist of events, police have turned the heat on Kisii leaders for fanning the outlawed Sungusungu vigilante groups.
Speaking to The Standard on Sunday, a senior police officer hit out at local leaders for failing to publicly condemn heinous activities of the gang.
He said a special squad dispatched to the area last week failed to arrest any suspect due to lack of co-operation from the politicians.
"You have not heard any leader talk on these gangs despite the continued threat they pose to the residents," said the officer, who did not want to be named. The Kisii region has 10 MPs. Since the beginning of the year, vigilante groups have killed over 30 people.
