A journalist was yesterday attacked by a known man while harvesting napper grass for his animals at his farm in Makunga village in Tongaren constituency. Kaitano Nyongesa who is a Royal Media Services reporter was attacked by a man he knows very well and says the reason behind his attack still remains his a big question that lingers in his mind. Addressing the media at Webuye county hospital after he was treated and discharged, Kaitano said he had gone to his land a few meters from his home which he purchased two years ago to harvest napier grass for his animals when a neighbor approached him and asked him to mend the fence. Kaitano rejected saying he will do it when whoever had the complain was around, but the man insisted and started abusing him and eventually hit him at the neck and took the panga that he was using to harvest the grass and wanted to use it to attack him but Kaitano escaped.
The attacker then went ahead to cut down the sisal fance that demacates the land before Kaitano called pasers-by who came to his rescue. They got hold of the man and called Makunga market who later arrested the man and took him to Mbakalo police station. Kaitano says he doesn’t understand the real motive towards the attack. He stated that he had no arrears towards the land, claims that were confirmed by the seller herself and now wants the police to do enough investigation into the matter to know the reason behind his attack, given that the man said his mission was to kill him so that the land can return to the owner who is a widow and whom the attacker stays with.
” Upto now i really don’t know what led to my attack because i paid fully for the land two years ago and have no balance, have never quarreled with anyone so I was even surprised at this man’s attack yet we were in good terms with the seller and the said fence was at he other neighbour’s side and not theirs, “said Kaitano.
He says he fears for his life as the man claimed to have killed many people and he has never been arrested hence, he does not fear police and now he has appealed for the police to take stern step towards the culprit as he has bad intentions towards him and his family. The incident was criticized by some leaders among them Bungoma county emergency and special programmes director Mrs. Caro Buyela who called on police to be on the alert and make sure that thorough investigations are done over the matter and make sure that the culprit if found culpable faces the full force of the law. She added that land cases are becoming rampant and people should learn to solve such issues amicablly especially if they are neighbors instead of using scrupulous and heinous means.
She complained of insecurity within Webuye East and Tongaren saying there is lapse in security saying many people are losing their lives and properties getting stolen each day and appealed to security apparatus in Bungoma county to find a lasting solution to the insecurity. ” We cannot continue losing our people just like that as we leaders watch, we need to do something, how can people continue losing their hard earned property and lives of their loved ones yet no one is arrested? Are we doing enough to stop this menace?” paused Mrs. Buyela. She has called on county commissioner Mr. Kimiti to move with speed and curb the vice before it gets out of hand proposing for the transfer of some police officers who have lived in one station for a longer period of time as a measure of beefing up security. She has also appealed to residents to work closely with police.