RACHUONYO PEOPLE ARE IN STATE OF SHOCK FOLLOWING THE SHOOTING TO DEATH OF THE MALARIA RESEARCHER BY
GANGSTERS AS HE ESCORTED GUESTS OUT OF HIS HOME.
Reports Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City
The residents of Kendu-Bay and its environs in Rachuonyo North district are in state of shock following the shooting to death of a young researcher with the Kisumu based KEMRI/CDC Malaria Research Station.
Reports from the area say Dr. Alfredo Obure, Phd degree holder had entertained some visitors in his home, located in East Karachuonyo Locations and had decided to escort his friends back to their homes in his car. As he droves around Akwakra village in Karabondi village, some thugs emerged from the bush and stopped him. He and his friends were ordered out of the car and told and ordered to lie down by the road side.
One of the thugs, who was armed with an AK 47 assault riffle is said to have shot Dr. Obure twice in the head, killing him instantly. Dr. Obure is said to have received his Phd degree only a couple of months ago.
The killing came hardly one month after unknown two thugs shot the late Mr Daudi Ongong’o, a trader within the vicinity of Kendu-Bay Town, as he was delivering maize produce to traders at Oriang’ Market, and made off with unspecified amount of money.
Unconfirmed reports say one of the thugs who killed Mr.Ongong’o was later reported to have been gunned down by police in Kilgoris, in Trans-Mara district. This information is rather faint and could not be confirmed immediately.
The Karachuonyo MP, Eng. James K Rege, has strongly condemned the killing and asked the government to bring the killers of Dr. Obure to justice.
Rege said insecurity was well spread countrywide, and wondered what the police were doing and yet Kenya has gone IT with all the latest technology of communications. The police should be able to apprehend any culprit within minutes after committing a felony
The MP decried poor policing strategies by the Kenya police, saying there is a police station at Kendu-Bay, but the next such station is situated 90 kilometers away, giving the leeway to criminals escaping from the scene of a crime.
In the early incident, the thugs who shot Mr. Ongong’o dead in day light robbery, rode in a motor bike, and escaped with the cash money, which the deceased, who trades in farm produce, had sold a lorry load of maize bugs, which he had brought along from Trans-Nzoia.
The MP told this writer of an ugly incident, which occurred at Pala Market in West Karachuonyo. It happened that some thugs using a motor vehicle, whose registration number plates had been rubbed with mud, to conceal the vehicles identity, were caught red-handed while sitting in a car, waiting to strike in a place where some young people had organized a dance, and hired a live band to entertain guests, who were charged at the gate.
The thugs were apprehended and found to be armed with an AK 47 with several rounds of ammunitions. Had the police delayed in arresting them in time, the incident could have been a bloody one.
Eng Rege called upon the government to hunt down criminal elements within the region and rid the area of all the illegally acquired sophisticated weapons, and arrest their owners.
The result of these incidents is that many traders and businessmen, as well as fishermen and farmers feels insecure, even in their own homes, because these thugs could strike them anytime of the day or night on robbery missions. It is already having an adverse physiological effect on traders operating in the region, who now feel unsafe in their day to day business activities.
A good number of people interviewed at Kendu-Bay, Adiedo, Kandiege, Kadel,Omboga and Rakwaro trading centers told this writer that they were no longer feeling safe, even after closing their shops.
People in the entire Karachuonyo constituency are living under fear and have requested the government to eradicate thuggery in the area. When this writer visited Kendu-Bay Town on Thursday, people were talking in groups in low tones, and showing faces of disappointment and shock. The news of the shooting of Dr. Obure spread like fire in the villages, and in no time, many people walked from their homes in the villages to Kendu-Bay town, with the aims of finding out more information about the latest killing. The thugs took nothing from the victims.
Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com
It is sad that we should loose important personalities from the society. The Government should wake up form political wrangles and provide security to her citizens.Loosing a young Malaria researcher is quite downhearting.What is the Government Intelligence department doing? Frequent robbery is now common on our roads,in our homes yet the message is always the same “we shall leave no stones unturned”.Recently there was arms scandle discovered in Narok and it was reported that the ownwer of the arms wanted to bribe the six policemen who arrested him 6 million Ksh each.The issue has so far been forgotten.Mr Police Commissoner,Are you there?.Could Narok be one of the sources of arms used to terrorise the unarmed innocent citizens.Who will come up to speak for the defenceless kenyans? May God intervene.
This is very sad. What a loss of gained potential. Why are there so many loose guns? Where is the police to stop these murderers? My sympathies to his family. My sympathies to us.
Joram Ragem.
thats a brain which could have saved even mothers of those brutal killers. ask us who interacted with the man and know his potential. shame on you Kenya police. you can’t even take care of Kenyas top cream, leave alone the peasants
SECURITY AND INFRASTRUCTURE IS WHAT WE NEED MOST FROM THE GOVERNMENT.
Community policing should be instituted in Kenya by the Local authorities and provincial administration liaising with local communities to engage local defense/vigilantes, who should be paid by local residents, and reporting to Local assistant chiefs/chiefs, and working closely with Administration Police.
I learnt with deep shock the death of Prof Obure through a newspaper obituary.It is unfortunate that our people can decide to brutally and mercilessly end the life of such a brilliant villager who would in many cases help the village and the entire country.
And may the area MP Hon Rege stop complaining about the government not providing security yet he is in the same government.Can Hon Rege act immediately to help the constituency get rid of crime.That’s the reason why he was elected.
JERRY ATHO OUGO
Death paid a visit
and robbed us of a friend, a son , a father, a role model.
How cruel!
My prayer to the family left behind. May the possessor of the universe take care of you all.
And to any one who is reading this, my plea is let us stamp out these heinous acts, that is perpetrated by men of dead conscious.
It is sad to read something like heartless murder in the center of Luo land. Luos were not known for killing their fellow Luos. What has grown wrong with our society and especially among the Luos? Whom do we blame? Has the mind gone crazy?
Well, those killers will one day stand before God and answer some tough questions. My condolence and prayers to the family.
Betty