There was drama at Isinya police station when the sub-county police commander Ancient Kaloki ordered his officers not to record statements of stolen livestock.
Residents of Kisaju had gone to the station to report the theft of 22 sheep stolen in the wee hours of Friday morning but were instead intimidated and asked to leave the station with immediate effect.
Devastated locals pitched camp at the station demanding to have an audience with the police on why they were being denied to record statements on the same. Kaloki is said to have made several calls intimidating them before he showed up at the station and began blocking members of the press from filming the plight of the farmers warning them to leave the station.
Kaloki threatened to collect cameras from journalists before he was prevailed on by farmers who blocked him from grabbing the cameras.
This comes hot on the heels of increased livestock theft in Isinya Sub County.
In the last three months, 77 cattle and 388 sheep and goats have been stolen in the area.
“We can no longer stomach losing our source of livelihood because of selfish officers working with theft cartels. How comes a senior officer incharge of security is openly intimidating us not to speak up about theft? If we are not supposed to report theft issues in Isinya police station where are we supposed to report them? Police officers are working in cahoot with thieves, ” Daniel Uka, a community policing chairman told Kaloki on his face.
Locals are also decrying that suspects who are presented before the station are released in unclear circumstances to the chagrin of the farmers who continue losing livestock.
“We have caught and presented livestock thieves and presented them to the police but the suspects are released under unclear circumstances. This police station has become a corruption zone that does not prioritize wananchi,” another resident said.
The locals now demand the transfer of the area Ocpd saying he has been at the forefront of abetting the theft.
The livestock are stolen in a cavalier manner where cattle are slaughtered and ferried as meat while sheep and goats are ferried using lorries.
Locals have severally managed to capture the number plates of lorries ferrying the livestock but arrested suspects are not presented to the court.
