Kisii Central District Commissioner,Benjamin Njoroge
By Ben Oroko
The Government has put on notice all rogue community policing members in Kisii Central District that they risk facing the law should they take the law unto their own hands in the course of discharging the policing duties to their immediate communities. Kisii Central District Commissioner,Benjamin Njoroge has warned that the Government will not take kindly any of the community policing members inthe area found to overstep his responsibilities in their daily duties to the local communities. Addressing a public Baraza at Omokobokobo village, KARI at Mwamosioma Sub-location in Kisii Township inthe District,warned community policing members against overstepping their mandate and taking the law unto their hands-subjecting suspects to corporal punishments and meddling in domestic and land disputes. He issued a stern warning against all illegal groups purporting to be community policing members-only to engage in extorting unsuspecting members of the public under the guise of solving their domestic and land disputes. The DC who is also the Chairman of the District security committee,questionable community policing members of dire if found meddling in domestic affairs and land disputes,saying the issues were not within the mandate and operations of the community policing members.
Njoroge reminded the community policing members inthe District that,it was wrong for any community policing member to overstep their mandate and take the law unto their hands to to subject suspects to corporal punishments in public as it set a bad precedent among the young and the general public. The DC reminded the community policing members that it was their duty and mandate to partner with the Government security machinery on the ground to beef up security for the benefit of the local community members. “The community policing members are mandated by the Government to work with their respective communities on issues of security and if they suspected any crime they they volunteer information to the law enforcement machinery for action”Njoroge advised. He challenged the local communities to confidentially report to his office for disciplinary action any community policing member found to be overstepping his mandate and using the name of community policing to engage in activities that do not conform to the regulations outlined by the Government in discharging community policing services to the local communities. “It is illegal for any member of the community policing committee to subject suspects to corporal punishments,especially inthe presence of their wives and children as it infringed on their constitutional rights,”warned Njoroge.
The DC warned that,the Government will not condone questionable characters to hijack and undermine the purpose for which the Government introduced community policing services,saying it reflected negatively on the Government image and sent a wrong impression about the community policing initiative. Njoroge,however warned members of the public against subjecting suspected witches to lynching,instead they should hand them over to the law enforcement officers to have them taken to court and prosecuted under Cap 67 of the laws of Kenya . He educated the public that,under the law it was clear that if any member of the community is suspected to be practicing witchcraft,he/she should be reported to the local chief or his assistant who in turn will report the matter to the DC for appropriate legal action as provided for in the laws of Kenya. “It is illegal for any member of the public to take the law unto his/her hands to terminate someone’s life under the pretext of fighting witchcraft in the community.I am reminding you that the Government will hold accountable any member of the public found to have maimed or lynched a suspected witch as it was a crime for one to kill or murder someone on grounds of curbing witchcraft in the society”warned Njoroge.
BEN OROKO IS A FREELANCE JOURNALIST BASED IN KISII-KENYA. E-Mail:benoroko2000@yahoo.com
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