February 3rd, 2009

News Analysis By Leo Odera Omolo

 REVELLERS who are usually patrons  public joins in Kisumu City of late are having lean time following the recent of raids and attacks by bands of organized criminal thugs.

 A number of revelers have sustained seriously bodily injuries as well as losing money, mobile phones and other valuables, A prominent surgeon was last October shot at close range and killed in cold blooded murder in one of the town’s numerous public joins.

 Several popular bars and restaurants have come under similar attacks. The thugs seems to have targeted mostly public joins frequented by wealthy businessmen, politicians ,university lecturers and well-to-do people.

 It all started in public joins, which are allocated in the City’s suburbs of Kondele, Manyata, Nyalenda and Pandpieri. But this has now changed, and the thugs have found it that it more lucrative to stage such attack in bar located right in the middle of town.

 Two weeks ago, the daring thugs struck at the popular pub, which is located within the Central Business District{CBD}The popular Lakeview Hotel’s bar and restaurant is known to be the hubs of drinking joins for professionals, businessmen and intellectuals,

 The popular public join is frequented by politicians, senior and junior lecturers from the Masenoi University, technocrats and the place is known to be the bedrock of Luo politics.. At times, this particular public joins is full of political agitations, which on occasions ends up in physical brawls as the result of heated political exchanges by people with different political ideologies and alliances within Luo politics.

 About eight thugs comprising of young men stage a near bloody raids at about 8pm, They caught many revelers unaware and ordered everyone to lie down. One of the thugs jumped onto the cashier’s counter, but unfortunately found only some loose change and a bunch of airtime cards.

 The cunning counterman Mr. Odhiambo had long fled with cash stacked in his trousers pocket. A senior police officer who work at the nearby Kisumu Railways Station was stuck on the head with a panga as he  made frantic effort to reach his service revolver. He sustained serious head injury and his gun was taken away by the thugs.

 Several revelers women included took to their heels, but unlucky ones lost their mobile phones and money.

 But within minutes, the police under the command of the Kisumu OCS., a Mr. Wanyama, the same thugs were cornered at the nearby lake shore as they planned to escape using a boat.  One of the thugs was felled by the police gun fire, another one sustain serious gun wound and is still nursing his wound at the district hospital. Four thugs were arrested, and  a young woman considered to be part of the armed gangsters was reported to have escaped the police dragnet. The police swung into action so fast, and their action os commendable by the residents of this lakeside City.,

 Another public joins called Bomas, was attacked in December while the popular Mamba Hotel also experienced similar raids in November last. All these pubs are located in Kibuye area. This is also the area where Dr Opondo was killed. On was among the revelers who stayed at the Wayside Bar until wee hours of the night when the gun totting thugs raided the place.

 In the account of several eye witnessed, the doctor had taken one or too and was some how  tipsy and ignored the order shouted by thugs for everyone to lie down.

 Another pub called Tot-Inn also located right in the middle of the town had also come under similar attack.. The general fears now persist among the Kisumu residents for what one reveler termed as” lack of safe place for the residents to socialize themselves after duty, and this has become a matter of serious concerned to the general public.  .In Kisumu City one particular road has became so infamous. This is a place which is Full of muggers .and gangster attacks on pedestrians, It is the road which traverses Muslim Mosque via Jua Kali sheds on the way to Kibuye via both Hotel Bunduva and Hotel Mamba . Here a pedestrian risk not to walk on this road after 6.pm,  

The other place which has become no go places in the small road linking the Aga Khan Hospital to Kibuye via Teachers housing scheme. opposite Patel Flats. The area has become so dangerous that nobody dared to walk alone of this lane after 6.pm.

 And not to be forgotten of housing thugs is the Upper Railways Quarters, where there are dozens of unoccupied  houses belonging to the Kenya Railways Corporation..Residents believes a lot of thugs have taken illegal occupation of the disused railways landies and houses in this particular estate.

 Not to be forgotten is the fact that this is also the same area, where the Finance Assistant Minister Dr. Oburu Oginga was attacked and had his aides assaulted by the thugs who had ambushed the Bondo MP outside his house at Mosque Estate and in the melee than followed his sleek car was extensively damaged. Then thugs took with them cool Kshs 100,000 from the Minister and six cellphones..

 Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com