Luanda and Emuhaya residents in Vihiga County have threatened to hold demonstrations to push for the removal of police officers who are abetting illicit brew businesses in the area which have claimed lives of many youths.
The residents who spoke to the press accused police officers in the area of openly engaging in the illicit brew business by supplying the brew and taking bribes from the peddlers.
They decried that Luanda and Emuhaya have become a market point for chang’aa and ‘Simba Waragi’ from Uganda which is being ferried by police officers using both private and official police vehicles. Some are seen transporting illicit brew to various chang’aa dens using their privately owned motorbikes.
Luanda and Emuhaya have over 50 illicit brew joints with notorious ones being close to police camps where they enjoy protection from the officers.
It is said most of the chang’aa and Simba Waragi joints pay protection fee to officers who go round on motorbikes collecting the fee.
The residents were reacting to an ugly incident which happened during at Luanda where two administration police officers stationed at Mulukhoro AP Camp vanished with 60 litres of chang’aa which was intercepted by the members of the public with help of community policing.
It is said the two officers who are said to be notorious illicit brew peddlers in the area told the public that they are taking the chang’aa to Luanda police station together with the two suspects arrested only to make away with the illicit drink with suspects to an unknown destination.
“We are planning to hold demonstrations towards Vihiga County Police Commandant’s office to seek assistance to have the rogue police officers who are openly abetting illicit brew businesses in Emuhaya and Luanda sub-counties removed. We have lost our children and our efforts to fight illicit brews in our area are being frustrated by police officers who are supposed to be on the forefront in the fight against the killer brews. We are appealing to Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i to come to our aid,” decried the residents.
The residents said a week rarely passes without a youth dying due to illicit brew in Emuhaya and Luanda sub-counties.
Efforts by Luanda OCS to have the brew and the suspects brought to the station were fruitless.
Vihiga County Commissioner John Chelimo has condemned the incident promising to take disciplinary action against the officers. Chelimo decried that there is a big problem in Luanda and Emuhaya sub-counties saying there are a few officers who abetting illicit brew businesses in the area.
He said he’ll continue the fight against illicit brew businesses in Vihiga County and he will spare no officer who is acting as an obstacle to the war against illicit brew.