Former Sports CS Rashid Echesa is the latest big fish to be nabbed as investigations into the macabre Killings of innocent civilians in Matungu, Kakamega County intensify.
Echesa was arrested on Friday evening at Malinya, in Ikolomani where he was attending an event organised by the Deputy President William Ruto. Ruto’s Communication Team shared the Photos on social media, perhaps not knowing that the former CS had been arrested.
Former CS Rashid Echesa arrested over Matungu killings. Wishy-washy and murder is the trade.
— Robert Alai (@RobertAlai) May 17, 2019
Echesa’s arrest comes thick following the arrest of Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala who was arrested and arraigned at Kisumu Central Police Station on Friday. Police had arrested Mayoni MCA Libinus Oduor earlier in the day.
The arrests come a day after Interior CS Fred Matiang’i visited the area and promised to crack down on the runaway killings that have seen 26 civilians killed in the past three months.
So far, 20 killings have been confirmed in Matungu. Of these, 13 were killed by members of gangs calling themselves 42 Brothers and 14 Brothers. Seven others were lynched on suspicion of being members of the gangs, but the story being told on the ground is different.
“The days of those criminals who have been attacking villagers and killing them are numbered. From today, we are deploying the GSU and increasing the number of other security officers to restore sanity,” Matiang’i said on Thursday.
Early this month, the gang killed a pregnant woman and her three-year-old daughter as the husband watched. Among the victims include two secondary school students.
Whil
e some of the killings are linked to land disputes; in which case both parties are known, there is a general consensus among the citizenry, and which the police chiefs in the area have corroborated, that these marauding killer gangs are in the employ of local politicians who seek to intimidate each other ahead of the 2022 elections. This type of callousness stands condemned.
Locals have accused the politicians and policemen of collaborating to let suspects of the hook.
The country is now waiting to see if the arrested politicians will help end the crimes.