Alarm sounded as youths unleash knife terror on Lamu residents

A view of Lamu Island during the 2014 cultural festival. There is growing concern over the rising number of youths walking around with knives and pangas in parts of Lamu Town. FILE PHTO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Cases of people being hacked to death by the marauding youth have also been on the rise.
  • Women are now calling on the government to take action before the situation gets out of hand.
  • Nominated MCA Hadija Hamid said cases of the youths stabbing one another due to disagreements had also become common.
  • Ms Hamid said there was a need to arrest the situation before the young men sink further into crime.

An increase in the number of youths walking around with knives and pangas in parts of Lamu Town has raised concern among residents.

Cases of people being hacked to death by the marauding youth have also been on the rise, with women calling on the government to take action before the situation gets out of hand.

Leaders of various women groups who met acting County Commissioner Fredrick Ndambuki on Saturday said residents had become afraid of leaving their homes in the evening for fear of being attacked.

Nominated MCA Hadija Hamid said cases of the youths stabbing one another due to disagreements had also become common.

“At the Lamu County Hospital, we have two young men, one nursing a cut on his head while the other one has a wound on his hand, arising from disagreements,” she said.

ARREST SITIUATION

Ms Hamid said there was a need to arrest the situation before the young men sink further into crime.

She urged police to conduct regular patrols in the affected areas to stop the trend.

“Villages like Kashmir, Langoni and Kandahar have become a haven for the armed youth and we fear there will be more killings if the matter is not urgently addressed,” she said.

Mr Ndambuki warned that police would not allow the youth to terrorise residents.

“We cannot have such incidents happening among us, we will organise a meeting with the young men very soon and explain to them how to handle issues,” he said.

Mr Ndambuki said drug use was partly to blame for the problem, adding that authorities had intensified the fight against narcotics.

“Faza Island has been on our radar due to the cases of drug abuse and we will ensure that we stop the sale of drugs on the island as well as other areas in the county,” the county commissioner said.