Gatuanyaga residents living in fear after gang trotting youth reign terror.

Residents of Gatuanyaga Ward in Thika East Sub-County have raised concerns over the rising insecurity in the area.

Speaking exclusively to Thika Town Today over the weekend, the locals claimed that well known criminals from the area have been terrorising them both during the day and night. They added that the marauding gangs that mostly targeted business people in the area and those rearing livestock, possessed live firearms that they either killed or maimed their victims before robbing them of their property.

The residents accused both police officers and the local administration of laxity and called on the State to step up security to curb the escalating crime rate.

Last week, a local butcher, Simon Nguru, was shot in the chest as he was walking home at around 10pm accompanied by his wife Susan Nduta.

Three young men riding on a motorbike accosted them near Tushauriane area and wrestled the husband to the ground. Immediately he landed on the ground, one of the thugs drew a pistol and shot him on the chest.

“They immediately shot him and started demanding money from him. By God’s grace, I managed to slip away into the darkness and went to hide in a nearby home,” narrated the terrified woman.

Neighbours raised alarm forcing the gang to flee, but not before they attempted to shoot the victim in the head and also fire one shot in the air, probably to scare away the villagers who were now approaching in a view to fight them off.

“My husband is lucky to be alive as the bullet that missed his head was meant to kill him,” she added.

Nguru is currently recuperating at the Thika Level 5 hospital.

The residents say that cases of robbery with violence have been reported almost on a daily basis for the last few months but no arrests have been made.

The terrified residents also claim that the said criminals are armed with pistols which they are using to intimidate and threaten them. They also claim that cases of livestock theft is in the increase with so many people complaining of the loss of their cows and goats.

“Last December another man was shot and injured by the same people who were demanding KES. 300,000 from them. Sometimes later, an M-PESA agent was also attacked. Recently, they robbed another man an unknown amount of money in broad daylight as he went to visit his construction site,” said one resident.

The residents have now threatened to take the matter into their own hands and lynch any suspected thugs if their plight is not addressed urgently.

“We are tired of the widespread cases of insecurity here and we wonder if the government is asleep since such criminal acts occur almost every day,” yelled another resident.

Last Thursday, two of the gang members were cornered and beaten mercilessly by angry residents while they attempted to steal from a bar at “Kwa Simon” area.