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Murder is rife, Violent crime is all too common and the number of guns in civilian hands in the area is beyond belief. Although the situation has improved ad against the 1999 levels, a cartel of thugs and other violent urban gangs continue to rule Korogocho with an iron first. Their reign of terror goes virtually uncontested, as the security forces are generally loath to venture into this veritable war zone unless with massive reinforcements. The thugs are known to even waylay the church faithful and rob them of the day’s offering. In December 2000, one of the ugliest incidents ever occurred. A group of men gang raped a woman, mutilated her private parts, and gouged out her eyes. Her butchered body was found the following morning abandoned in a disused water dam near Ngunyumu village in Korogocho. In the same month of December 2000, 26 cases of gang rape were documented by Pambazuko Library Services. In fact, two of these cases took place in a church compound. The local dispensary of Provide International also reported having treated numerous cases of crime-related injuries in the months between December 2000 and June 2001. Between the months of July and October 2001, the cases of residents and visitors being robbed in broad daylight at The situation got very tense and in June 2001, fighting that look an ethnic dimension broke out between Ngunyumu and Grogan residents. This ensued after a gang robbed a Ngomongo dweller of a Television and Video Machine during the day. Riots broke out with the predominantly Luo Ngomongo dwellers fighting the Grogan dwellers who were thought to be Kikuyus. Ther contigents of riot police deployed to the area were shocked to discover that some rioters were armed with guns, teargas canisters, rungus, swords and pangas. Gunshots rocked the area of Ngunyumu, Gitathuru and Grogan for hours as a struggle ensued for control of the streets. There was rampant looting and wanton destruction of property. Today, the areas around Kona Mbaya and old Bega kwa Bega Kajumu continue to be black spots even during the day. Belatedly the police recognized the importance of intensifyng security in Korogocho and in 1999 elevated the adjacent Ruaraka Police Post to a full police station. This, however, did not suffice to solve the security problem in Korogocho. In tandem with this, therefore, the government launched a reinforced police operation code named “Operation Fagia” (the sweeping operation, led by GSU superintendent Stephen Soi and the then Kasarani officer Commanding Police Division [OCPD] Geoffrey Kaburu, netted 217 peopIe who were later charged with various offences. The residents of Korogocho, led by their security committee, held a demonstration in Korogocho demanding that the police protect them and calling on all the dwellers to participate in security initiatives. The demonstration ended up at the Kuaraka polike station, where the police impounded the vehicle that was mobilizing people for the demonstration. In a characteristic show of police insensitivity and official high handedness, the police dismissed the demonstration as illegal. The Korogocho community members have also organized themselves into security groups to address this problem. The Kenya Human Rights Commission has been working with these residents’ associations in an attempt to implement a community policing project. |
