Written by Leonard Wamalwa 2012-08-10 14:40:00 Read 643 Times

Residents of Matisi sorrounding the shop where a young man was shot by unknown gang who terrorized the area Thursday night. [ PHOTOs | Leonard Wamalwa | West Fm]

At least one man was killed Thursday by thugs who unleashed terror in various villages of one of Kitale’s slum residences.

Witnesses of the 9 pm incident that took place at Lukhuna Trading Center of Matisi location within Kitale Municipality saw the late Augustine Wafula a.k.a Msanii get shot on the neck by the uniformed thugs after he responded to a distress call by his neighbors who had been attacked in their shop.

"When the people who had come in my shop posing as customers started demanding to have our counter door to be opened, my wife begun shouting and crying for help as we ran out of the shop through the back door and vanished in darkness only to come back and find that Msanii had been shot at our veranda," said Augustine Lumbasi the owner of the shop at the scene of the incident.

The thugs had earlier broken into a shop to buy airtime which the shop keeper did not have and thus they hanged around the shop before they begun to execute their mission that led to the death of Wafula and stealing of valuables and cash money of unknown value.

Area assistant chief Moses Bunguswa(Left)and the Trans Nzoia police boss Lucas Ogara confirmed that the thugs had first raided a bar at Kipsongo slums before they moved to Lukhuna though nothing is said to have been stolen at the bar.

The OCPD further added that another shop was attacked in Endebes District headquarters in Kwanza District at around 7pm whereby the armed thugs shot several bullets at the door and window of the shop after they were outwitted by their target.

Ogara said that the thugs had ordered the owner of Bethsaida shop demanding that he takes them where the money was only for him to walk fast and immediately lock himself inside the shop leaving them out hence rendering their mission useless.

He confirmed that no one was injured in the Endebes incident where four spend cartridges were recovered but added that a suspected motorcycle operator who was said to have transported the gangsters involved in the Matisi incident has been arrested and investigations are going on.

However, following the killing at Lukhuna, the residents staged a demonstration decrying the escalating security situation in the area attributing it to lack of a security unit in the area.

They have urged the government through the ministry of internal security to intervene and put up a regular police post or an administration police unit or patrol base noting that the area is vulnerable to attacks because there is no security personnel.

"We know that even the thugs might be having their accomplices from within this area who are very much aware that they can accomplish their mission conveniently and leave before police officers from Mitume or Kitale police station can arrive at the scene hence we need a police post or patrol base to beef up the security of my people here in Matisi," the chief.

At the same time the residents noted that in most cases the gangsters come in police uniform hence making them relax thinking that they are police officers on patrol only to realize later that they are the gangsters when they turn against them and start robbing and killing when need be.

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