We lack resources,
say police
Nairobi (The Nation, February 23, 2000) - Lack of adequate resources has hampered
police effort to curb the influx of firearms into the country, Central provincial police
boss, Mr. James Munyua said yesterday.
Mr. Munyua however said police were doing their best to retrieve all illegal firearms.
He said the expansive border with Somalia,
which is the main entry point for firearms, could not be adequately monitored by the
ill-equipped police force.
"Even if we sealed the border, Somalis are in the country with the weapons. What
we are doing is retrieving those weapons from the holders, " Mr. Munyua told the
Press in his office.
He said the force was optimistic that the flow of arms will end.
Although the situation is worrying, Mr. Munyua said several firearms had been recovered
in the recent past.
He said cases of car jackings in central province had gone down after the police
introduced a surveillance operation three months ago. He however said that some matatus
have been attacked by armed thugs - "and we suspect that they are usually tipped on
vehicles that our men have boarded to offer security".
He pointed out the Nyeri-Nyahururu road where cases of matatu jacking have drastically
been reduced by police on the move.
Meanwhile Mr. Munyua said two highway robberies occurred on Monday in the province.
In Cianda Estate Kiambu, six men, four of them armed with pistols attacked Samuel
Nguruiya and took away his pick-up car.
The gang also made away with Sh152,000 and other valuables.
The gang dropped Mr. Ngaruiya at Ngatana area between Kiambu and Laari. No arrest had
been made by yesterday.