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Nyumba Kumi plan to curb abductions in Murang'a
Murang'a County Commissioner Ms Kula Hache. She has said that the Nyumba Kumi security plan will be initiated in the Maragua Sub-County area which has been experiencing increased incidents of abductions especially of business people. She called upon area residents to volunteer any information that will help curb insecurity. PHOTO/FILE.
What you need to know:
- According to area County Commissioner Ms Kula Hache, the community policing programme will help neighbours know what is happening in their surroundings and deal with any security threats.
- She said lone houses in the area used as hideouts by criminals and to shelter kidnap victims would also be closely monitored once the initiative is launched.
Maragua Sub-County in Murang’a will soon start using the Nyumba Kumi (10 houses) security plan as a way of curbing rampant abductions in the area.
According to area County Commissioner Ms Kula Hache, the community policing programme will help neighbours know what is happening in their surroundings and deal with any security threats.
The government has ordered the implementation of the Nyumba Kumi initiative community policing concept in an effort to enhance neighbourhood security.
This will see the current system of villages under a village elder restructured into ten household units with a clear leadership structure that will be responsible for the security of the concerned households.
“The issue of kidnappings in Murang’a and especially in Maragua area has been worrying us.
The public must help us in dealing with the vice,” said the County Commissioner.
She said lone houses in the area used as hideouts by criminals and to shelter kidnap victims would also be closely monitored once the initiative is launched.
RUN AWAY
Speaking during the launch of the Kenya Chamber of Commerce, Murang’a Chapter, the administrator admitted that several business people had run away from Maragua following the escalating cases of kidnappings in the area.
Gangs have been targeting residents especially business people.
They later demand huge amounts of cash as ransom.
More than 10 people have already fallen victim since the beginning of 2013.
Some victims have been found dead after being abducted.
Families have been left in agony looking for kidnapped relatives or attempting to raise the ransom money mostly running into hundreds of thousands or millions of shillings.
Some victims have also been left traumatised after the ordeal.
“Two business people who were kidnapped in Maragua and later released have now run away from the area and we cannot allow this trend to continue. We hope to address this through the Nyumba Kumi initiative,” she said.
She was addressing the business people at Nokras Hotel in Murang’a Town.
She however appealed to residents and the business community from the area to share information with law enforcers in an effort to ensure security is enhanced.
“Let people talk and share information with us. Security is a very pertinent issue and we are all responsible,” she added.
Murang'a County Assembly speaker Mr Nduati Kariuki who was the guest speaker during the event also urged the business community to support the police in fighting crime in the area.
Kenya Chamber of Commerce officials from Murang’a, Kiambu, Kirinyaga, Nairobi and Nyeri counties called upon the county governments to work closely with them to enhance public-private partnerships.
