News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City

The latest, but unfortunate incident of shooting to death of a wealthy Kisumu businessman – cum – politician by gangsters was a pure case of thuggery and robbery with no political related angle attached to it.

However, the prevailing insecurity situation in this lakeside city and in some parts of Nyanza Province cannot be solved through violent protests and street demonstrations, lawlessness and destruction of properties.

And even blame games and the demand for the transfers of senior police officers in the region could offer any amicable solution to the insecurity problems in Kisumu.

The solution, however, lies on a joint concerted effort with city fathers, elected leaders, top security men the provincial administration, representatives of the business community and all stakeholders brainstorming together in close door top security meeting. Such a meeting should be organized and held in a soberly atmosphere in closed door top security meeting.

The reason why such a meeting is necessary is that insecurity situation has because the worsened security situation is most worrying aspect of life, considering that criminal thugs armed with sophisticated weapons are on the loose This lakeside city has become unsafe place to walk around. Kisumu requires urgent reinforcement of a strong police to man its streets.

The shooting and killing of the late Mr Shem Onyango [Kwega} or “onagi” is not the first incident in which criminal thugs have shot and fatally wounded or killed resident of this town and got away scots-free.

There have been other killing in the recent past, which just ended without the perpetrators being brought to book to answer serious criminal charges to the killing.

A few years ago a senior manager wit the Kenya Pipeline Company Limited Mr Chirchir was shot and fatally wounded as he sat on table having drinks with friends inside a popular public joint down town Kisumu .He was flown t Nairobi or an emergency specialized treatment. Unfortunately M Chirchir succumbed from his injuries and died. So far nobody has ever been arrested. The assailant had travelled t the pub using a saloon car parked outside by three other young men looking like policemen.

Later on a young India doctor working in Kisumu was shot dead at the doorstep of his clinic which was located near Mosque Estate. The gunman opened the door of the car and pumped bullets into the body of the doctor who was jut preparing to g home after duty. He was sitting in a car with his young son who was serious traumatized. In this particular incident n arrest has ever been made.

In another incident a prominent surgeon at the New Nyanza General Hospital Dr.Opondo was shot and killed last year in one of the bar located around the wayside area. Thugs burst into the bar as it was jut abut to close its door for business, and Dr.Opondo who was to days failed to respond to their instruction to revelers to lie down. He was shot fatally wounded and died on the sport. To – date no arrest has been made.

In the same Kibuye area of the town near the R.C.M Catholic church, a n entrepreneur and a prominent community leader Mr Abdul Ebrahim Dahya, who at one time was the Dept Mayor of Kisumu was shot an at a point blank range and seriously wounded as he drives his car from Kibuye towards the town by an idler who was standing by the roadside in wait as come over a road bump. Mr Dahya survived, but no arrest has ever been made by the Kisumu police.

The killer of the businessman Shem Onyango Kwega according to some account by the eye witness had big guns which looked either G3 or Ak47 riffles and looked very professionals. Although they carjacked another car and drover to the nearby Nyamasaria peri-urban a well known dens of criminal gangs immediately comb the area in search of the immediately.

However, there has been hue and cry from member of the public about the rationale of deploying so many policemen n traffic control duties while leaving the City unguarded.

In Nyanza police deployment of the few policemen on road-checkpoints instead of having some policemen policing the street of Kisumu. This is a city where one can walk for a long distance without meeting any policemen on patrol. But anyone driving from Kisumu towards Ahero Tow a distance which is less than 20 kilometers, one can encounter u to six police check-points, which normally manned by between three and four policemen and policewomen.

This is an area where the PPO, the OCPD, the PCIO stand the blame for complacency and laxity, and which the elected leaders and City fathers should tackle with the forces of law enforcement instead of leading poorly coordinated street demonstrations, which are only prone to looting and destruction of properties.

Our leaders must also look into the possibility of stamping out politically aligned gangs of goons, some of them who of late have styled themselves as the America Marine, China and Israel and making lives difficult for the residents.

Properly organized and well coordinated street demonstration by people to express their dissatisfaction with how thing are going are welcome. But let the hooliganism not take advantage of the protests to camouflage themselves for looting other people property.

Ends