GSU Menacing Innocent Kenyan Kuria Citizens

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     HAWA WATU GSU SI WAWACHANE NA WAKURIA WETU
 

Villagers took to their heels and hid behind shops as our car rolled into Ntimaru market in Kuria District. They mistook it for a police car because in this dusty outpost, every drone of a motor vehicle spells terror.
A few brave men walked back to confirm who we were. 

"Ooh, we thought you were GSU (General Service Unit)," said Mr Mwita Marwa, a tinsmith who has closed his workshop for fear of attack by the security officers.

The previous night, a contingent of GSU officers had raided the market in search of suspected criminals.

Mr Paul Moseti at his empty shop in Wangira Bose, Kuria District. He alleged that GSU officers looted his stock. [PHOTO: TITUS MUNALA /STANDARD]

Dreaded unit

Officers of the dreaded para-military unit had been brought into Kuria East District a few weeks before to flush out cattle rustlers after Internal Security Minister George Saitoti toured the area. There had been tension along the Kuria East/Trans-Mara border.
Cattle rustling in the district had sparked inter-clan battles that have spilled into the neighbouring Trans Mara and even Tanzania.

Observers claim politicians have fuelled inter-clan differences.
"Some politicians can only survive when clans fight," said Mr Chacha Maoga, a Kuria resident who works in Kisumu.

Villagers now say that the GSU personnel, who were brought in to restore peace and root out criminals, have turned against innocent people.

Many villagers had fled their homes by last week to seek refuge in Tanzania. Markets were deserted and some villagers said they were starving because they feared venturing out to look for food.
In Wangira Bose centre, the GSU men allegedly broke into shops and raped three women.Others bear bruises allegedly inflicted by the officers. 

Women said they were beaten to force them to reveal their husbands’ whereabouts.
According to Mrs Beatrice Maroa, a resident, the operation should have targeted suspects, not the entire district.
When the officers drove through the villages to Tharakagai chief’s camp where they put up a tent, locals believed they would provide a lasting solution to insecurity and cattle rustling.


But they turned into a nightmare when they started their operation by causing fear and panic among residents. Shops remained closed and parents could not let their children go to school for fear of the officers.

Area OCPD Paul Wanjama said the officers were deployed to the area to deal with cattle rustling.
"Police have not received complains of rape. We will act if such cases are reported," he added.

He advised those who feared reporting to the local police stations to do so at any other station.
He defended GSU officers’ decision to break doors, saying criminals used such premises as hideouts.
Prof Saitoti who visited the area on January 30 ordered the deployment of the officers after residents complained about cattle rustling and other criminal activities. Saitoti reiterated the Government’s commitment to provide security to citizens.

Broke into shops

On February 2 the officers started the operation at Kwitembe shopping centre in broad daylight where they broke into shops and beat up owners claiming they were searching for firearms. The following day, residents claim they moved to Mashagwe market and subjected residents to similar treatment. They allegedly robbed traders of more than Sh450,000.
Women narrated terrifying ordeals at the hands of the GSU personnel to The Standard and KTN team, who visited the area. Three women were allegedly raped at Wangira Bose, five at Kwitembe and one at Mashangwe trading centres. A 12-year-old schoolgirl, who was treated at a Migori hospital, is among those who were allegedly raped. 

Another victim, a woman, claimed she was raped as her six-year-old son watched. They then robbed her of some Sh2,000.

Raped in broad daylight

Some said they were ambushed along the road in broad daylight and ordered to remove their clothes before the officers raped them in turns. Others were raped as their family members watched.

Mr Paul Moseti, the chairman of Wangira Bose Traders Association who operates a butchery claimed he lost Sh200,000.
"I had closed the shop, but they broke the door and gained entry ," he claimed.

Moseti added that his worker who was beaten up has gone missing since then. Mrs Robby Chuma and Mr Baringe Philemon claimed they lost Sh100,000 each to the officers.

He added that although they welcomed Government’s intervention, residents’ rights should not be violated in the process.
But the OCPD said residents should not expect the security personnel to laugh with them when they harboured known criminals.

"They host the criminals who they know well. They should not complain," he added. According to DC Hamman Mshambi, it is the area residents who asked the Government to carry out the operation.

"They gave us the names of the suspects and we are going after them. The operation was not a blanket one, but was specific on the names given to us," Mshambi told The Standard.

He ruled out the possibility that some names could have been given by their enemies.
"It is true some could just give the names due to personal vendetta," Mshambi acknowledged when asked, but added that when a name appeared more than 20 times, then the man definitely had a case to answer.

Residents against idea

Kehancha Mayor Sigano Murimi, however, disputes the DC’s sentiments.
"No civilian can ask for GSU operation in their area," Mr Sigano said, adding that the Government decided on the operation and residents had nothing to do with it.
Most victims said they had not reported to the police for fear of being arrested.
"The rape victims in Wangira Bose have vowed never to report to the police. Last year, we asked for a police post to provide security, but if one was built today, nobody will remain here," said Pastor William Mwita of Deliverance Church. Standard

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