Residents of Ciumbu in Maragua, Murang’a county, have decried the rising insecurity, blaming it on wanton sale and consumption of drugs.
The locals have put security agencies to task over the overt sale of drugs by some residents without much reaction from administrators and police officers.
On Saturday, the residents demanded the closure of a retail shop owned by a local businesswoman and which they claimed peddled drugs to youths.
With a poor economy, the village that is located about a kilometre from the busy Kenol highway is devastated by alcoholism and drug abuse, with crimes such as robbery, break-ins and petty theft on the rise.
Last week, a woman was murdered by a gang as she trekked to work at 6am near Ndera dam that provides water to Kakuzi company farm.
“They reportedly asked for her mobile phone and the money she was carrying and when she resisted, they hit her on the head with a stone. She also had stab wounds on the stomach and back,” Alice Njoki, a resident, told journalists.
Njoki’s 17-year-old son is serving a 13-month jail term for engaging in criminal activities that she attributed to smoking bhang.
“The first time he was arrested, he ended up being imprisoned for three months at Maranjau prison. When I asked him where he got the bhang, he directed me to that shop,” Njoki said.
She added that she is very bitter that the businesswoman had contributed to destroying her son’s life.
Fred Mwaura, another resident, said the woman’s murder served as a wake-up call for all to fight against drugs and crimes.
Mwaura said the biggest challenge is the lack of jobs that has led youths to scramble for the few available opportunities.
Most residents are forced to seek jobs in large farms located kilometres away from Ciumbu shopping centre where they reside, mainly because of the cheap rental houses and low standard of living.
Further, the village is characterised by small parcels of land that disable farmers from engaging in agri-business, further aggravating the situation.
“The poor economy has also dealt a devastating blow to the family unit as not many, especially the young ones, are able to withstand the constrained resources,” Mwaura said, urging the authorities to ensure they engage the youths in the fight against drugs for it to succeed.
MP Mary Waithera, who held a baraza in the shopping centre, challenged security agents to deal with the gangs terrorising residents and peddling drugs.
The insecurity, she noted, poses a challenge to residents working hard to eke a living, wondering why no action has been taken against the known culprits.
Worse still, the MP added, the criminals have been peddling drugs to school children, lowering their chances of excelling in their studies and destabilising their lives.
“It’s just unfortunate that the person supplying these drugs is a woman and a mother, yet she’s busy ruining the lives of other people’s children.”
