Standoff in Mathare over rising insecurity concerns

The residents of Mathare in Nairobi clashed with police on Monday morning as they protested the rising insecurity in the area.

The unrest was triggered by the brutal killing of a man who was stabbed to death while taking his three-year-old son to school in the early hours.

The protest turned chaotic as residents blocked police officers from collecting the body of the deceased.

Instead, they insisted on carrying the body to the police station in a demonstration of their frustration and anger over what they termed as police inaction.

Witnesses said the deceased was a single father and it was his routine to accompany the minor to a nearby school.

Residents narrated that the incident happened at the same spot where a similar incident had occurred recently blaming police of laxity in the expansive Mathare area.

It is reported that at least four people have been killed within the area by criminals this year.

“This is not the first time something like this has happened. The police here are not doing their job; they allow criminals to roam freely, endangering our lives,” said Michael Otieno adding the officers in the areas ought to be transferred.

Otieno also linked the rising crime to unemployment among the youth saying that young people have opted for criminal activities.

“I lost my husband to criminals, the same way it has happened to another person in the morning, and no one has ever been held accountable. We live in constant fear,” another resident, Veronica Wanja said Wanja.

The residents claim that in some cases known criminals are released under unclear circumstances when arrested arguing that they could be buying their way out.

They added that the officers from the nearby Muthaiga police station were dismissive when asked about the unclear release of the suspects while calling for a total overhaul in the nearby stations.

Meanwhile, some locals have vowed to be dealing with the suspects if the legal avenues are not helping them.

“Parents must take responsibility for their children involved in crime because the mob will not spare them,” said Charles Midumbi who is a youth leader in Mathare.

He added that the residents in the area live in constant fear because the criminals often retaliate against those who report them.