Residents of Kawira, Kagambwa na Kanjogo village in Gatundu North are up in arms with the government over increasing cattle theft incidents in the area.
Cattle rustlers are reportedly stealing cows, goats, chickens and rabbits from the residents' homestead in the wee hours of the night.
Some residents say some of the rustlers slaughter the animals in their homes before fleeing with the meat.
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The villagers say that they reported more than twenty incidents of cattle rustling the area in the last three months, an incident that has sparked fear among them.
Mary Gathoni, one of the village residents whose cow has once been stolen, said that she has not been having proper sleep in the last few months.
The elderly woman said that she is forced to guard her animals in the night to prevent the rustlers from eloping with them.
“We are now forced to guard our livestock at night. My cow had been removed from the pen at midnight but with the help of our energetic children and village elders, we managed to recover it several Kilometers away,” Gathoni said.
Her sentiments were echoed by Judy Wambui whose goats were stolen last week and her retail shop was also broken into.
Emmanuel Gicharu, a Nyumba Kumi official from the village said the situation started worsening several weeks ago when three cows were stolen from two homesteads, a week before a flock of goats were stolen in the same village.
“It’s been a crisis but we are doing everything possible to contain it from an ordinary citizen's perspective,” Gicharu said.
The village residents claimed that most of the rustlers are collaborating with the rustlers from neighbouring villages to steal their livestock.
Gatundu North sub-county acting police commander Bernard Muriuki said they are investigating some individuals suspected of abetting the theft.
“We have managed to arrest one person and arraigned him to court. He gave us the relevant information and from it, we are following the right leads with the help of the public to contain the situation,” the police boss said.
Muriuki further said that they will also collaborate with their counterpart from other areas to apprehend the suspects from the region.
