In Summary:
- Hideouts, Arrests
- Dispatch, Warnings
Street urchins aka Chokoras have continued to be a menace especially when it comes to security and sanity of any environment they settle in. It hasn’t been different in Bungoma County as hundreds of insecurity cases have been attributed to their existence but most annoying is they have been discovered to have migrated to Bungoma town from their homes in neighboring towns and/or Counties.
Some of street children aka Maninjas have grown big in the streets that they dare mug residents in broad daylight and would slowly and casually walk away with utter impunity. But the newly elected BBPM leadership could not condone this vice following numerous complaints from traders and residents at large. Today morning they started their day by notifying the police of their intensions to kick Maninja out of Bungoma town before hunting for them in their hideouts.
Hideouts;
After searching Jumba house, Mpeli area, jobless corners, Kanduyi, Kiwanja Ndenge, Town Centre and Chebukube areas they managed to round up a total of 36 street who bundled onto matatus and/or bodabodas back to where they came from.
As expected this wouldn’t have been achieved without drama; The search team had to brace themselves well for possible faceoffs especially in places where they’d find a gang. They therefore equipped themselves with mipini ya jembe as well running shoes… and for sure they had to chase after these otherwise fast kids who in some cases squeezed themselves thru tiny escape routes to lose the security men.
Speaking to ikuweikuwe.com Faraj a known Bungoma stage operative who has over years invested in improving Bungoma security and was the lead commando of the Operation KICK CHOKORAS OUT of Bungoma said “…We realized that those worsening our insecurity are these Maninjas who surprisingly have homes. We therefore resolved to send them back to their parents and home… in fact in some cases we have confronted parents to these kids warning them of dire consequences should they allow them back to our streets… One Kanduyi parent was frog matched to the Police station with a view of having her questioned on the reasons of letting his son roam the streets in an era where we got free primary education… Chokoras who were kicked out of Eldoret and Kakamega Counties settled in Bungoma and we are in the process of sending them back… Bungoma sio dumpsite ya chokoraa…”
Out of 36, 28 were loaded onto matatus to their destinations while 6 rode on bodabodas with strict instructions that they be dropped at home or near home by their transporters and should not attempt to return on Bungoma town streets. Details of deportation is as follows; Chwele, Mumias, Turbo, Kamukuywa, Webuye, Cheptias, Eldoret, Kakamega
Akwe another BBPM official indicated that whereas it is human to feed a hungry person, the same act of giving (getting) free food is the reason that has promoted increase in numbers of these Maninjas. “Jana walikuwa mahali kari 200+ of them wakilishwa na NGO fulani… Kama hii operation tungeifanya jana tungeshika wengi” concluded the Matatu Vice Chair
#iKUWEiKUWE Corner;
- Congrats Faraj, Akwe and your team(s)
- It is worth noting that the 2013-7 Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago bundled street children in a Bus and had them dispatched to Bungoma. Lusaka who was the Bungoma governor then did nothing to reverse than. They have now become monsters who break into shops, homes at will.
- As Lusaka looks forward to clean up the town starting 14.02.2022 it’s important that he supports this course
