The Evil Within: When criminals live among us, hiding in plain sight

By day, they blend in with society, going about their business to make ends meet.

However, in the cover of darkness, their true nature presents itself as they transform into notorious thieves.

While living a double life remains one of life’s mysteries, for some it’s a walk in the park. 

Speaking to Mike Mwaura* a resident in Kaptembwa, he says that many of those who engage in criminal activities in the area hide in the cover of day jobs, so as to not raise suspicion. 

"In Kaptembwa, there is a man who deals in second hand phones infamously known as Pokot. It is believed that most of those phones are stolen. Whenever he his apprehended by police in connection to the phones, he is immediately released" he said. 

According to Mike, residents believe Pokot has a group of young men on motorbikes who snatch phones from Nakuru and its environs and take them to him. 

"A while back he was arrested and by the end of the day they let him go just like that. When community members see such things happening, they are even afraid of even giving police information as they feel like police may be colluding with these criminals" he said. 

When we passed by Pokot’s shop it looked like any other ordinary shop with a signage that has been put at the side of the road reading "fundi wa simu."

The shop is painted green on the outside and has MPESA written on one of the metal doors. 

At the Menya Ciaku boda boda stage in Kaptembwa Nakuru, there are whispers of one of the members of the stage who disappeared two years ago. We will call him John.

Among the locals, it is believed that John lived a double life. 

During the day, John would ride his boda boda ferrying his passengers to different parts of the estate and beyond.

At night however, the innocent motorbike rider would morph into a gun wielding robber terrorizing the residents by robbing them off their belongings at gun point. 

Some say that he would be arrested, but the charges never stuck. 

However, as the saying goes siku za mwizi ni arubaini.

On this fateful day, unknown men descended on the bodaboda stage in broad daylight, forcefully putting John into an unmarked vehicle, whisking him away.

Residents say that was the last time they ever saw him. 

Just to be able to understand what goes through the mind of such individuals who live a double life, we spoke to a psychologist Britney Marcella.

Marcella says most of such individuals delve into crime when they see that the job they have, is not enough to sustain them and their family, therefore resulting into crime to be able to fend for themselves and their families.