Busia: Residents of Teso South protest rising crime and killings

Residents of Teso South Constituency in Busia County have decried a spike in cases of crime and killings targeting security guards.

Locals held a peaceful demonstration on Friday to protest the recent killings.

The protest began at Simba Chai market, then to Kotur village and later concluded at Amukura police station, where they demanded action from law enforcement authorities.

Over the past week, four security guards have been killed by thugs, with shops broken into and goods stolen.

The residents accused perpetrators of starting off with livestock theft, attacking bodaboda operators, and now killing watchmen and looting shops.

They criticised security officers for failing to prevent these crimes, pointing out that some break-ins occurred just meters from police posts.

The protesters demanded the immediate transfer of all police officers serving in the area, giving Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen a 24-hour ultimatum to facilitate the transfers and replace the officers.

Teso South Member of Parliament (MP) Mary Emase supported the protesters’ calls, urging the government to increase police presence and deploy more vehicles to aid law enforcement.

In response, sub-county commissioner Said Abdallah Mwamzungu and police commander Christopher Wesonga assured residents that suspects would be apprehended.

They revealed that CCTV footage and a SIM card have been recovered and are being analysed to track down the culprits.