Wave of violent attacks sparks insecurity fears at Mwariki estate

Residents of Mwariki estate in Nakuru East have raised alarm over rising insecurity in the area. 

This follows several attacks and the recent killing of a 64-year-old Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC)retiree, Ambrose Omondi, in an incident that occurred just metres from Mwariki Police Station.

According to his widow, Rosemary Omondi, the deceased left home on Sunday morning at around 5am, unaware it would be the last time she would see him alive.

“We said goodbye and I told him to have a nice Sunday. He said he would call me,” she recalls.

However, hours later, Rosemary received a phone call from a friend asking whether she had heard that someone had been killed in the area.

“At first, I thought he was joking because we come from the same community. But when I got to the police station, I was told the person who had been killed was my husband,” she says.

Rosemary says she was devastated upon arriving at the scene where she found blood everywhere. Her husband, she says, had been stabbed in the back and in the head. The attackers also took his personal documents.

Omondi, who had retired from Kenya Power, was a father of three children.

Residents say his killing is not an isolated case, claiming several violent incidents have been reported in the area in recent months.

Zack Mwaura, a trader operating near Mwariki, says he narrowly escaped an attack by suspected criminals two weeks ago.

“I was heading to the highway when a group of people tried to stop me. Earlier I had seen them attack an elderly man. When they came after me, I managed to escape and later reported the incident to the police,” he says.

Community leaders and residents have accused security agencies of failing to respond adequately despite repeated reports of crime.

Brian Momanyi, a local community representative, says residents had held a meeting, including public barazaras with security officers on insecurity but remained dissatisfied with the response.

“The security situation here has been deteriorating each day. People are being attacked and even killed less than 100 metres from the police station,” Momanyi says.

He further claims that some suspects are well known within the community but are often released after arrest.

However, Nakuru County Police Commander Samuel Boit says on general security, he can assure residents the situation is under control. Noting security agencies have intensified operations in the area following the incident.

“We have intensified patrols and intelligence collection. Investigations are ongoing and once we have sufficient evidence we will apprehend the suspects,” he says.

Boit describes the killing as unfortunate but maintained that the overall security situation in Nakuru remains under control.

“I want to assure residents that supervision has been heightened and our officers are on the ground.  we are following critical leads,” he says.

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