Police have arrested six individuals accused of running an illegal police cell in Kakamega County and extorting residents.
This came after the area assistant chief, Isaac Ayumba, was tipped off about the illegal activity on Tuesday, March 11, morning by an elder from a neighboring sub-location, prompting an immediate investigation.
During the arrest, nine people who had been detained in the cell and nursing serious injuries were released.
“I reached out to the village elder in my sub-location who confirmed that indeed such an illegality was happening,” Ayumba told the Nation.
Kakamega Residents Tortured in Illegal Police Cell
Ayumba stated that Police are still searching for other members of the gang who fled when they learnt about the raid.
The police also recovered assorted weapons from the cell, including clubs, whips and ropes.
It is reported that the criminals operated the illegal detention center for over a week, terrorizing and extorting residents.
Locals claim that they took advantage of the prevalence of criminal activities in the slums, including drug trafficking, substance abuse, illicit brew trade, and child abuse, to run the extortion ring.
Also Read: Extravagance: Inside Lifestyle of Eldoret ‘Tycoon’ Who Set Up Own Police Station
Victims Share their Torture Experience
Residents who fell victim to the gang narrated their harrowing experiences in the illegal cell, describing how they were tortured and forced to pay bail for their release.
Those who refused to pay bribes suffered both physical and emotional abuse.
One of the victims, Lilian Chemayo, told Nation that while going about her daily chores at her home in the Alkarim Makaburini slums on the outskirts of Kakamega town on March 5, she received some suspicious visitors.
The group of men and women demanded to know why Chemayo’s daughter was not attending school.
Before she could answer, one of the men lunged at her from behind and quickly wrestled her to the ground.
The group then frog-marched Chemayo to a makeshift cell in the neighborhood, where they beat her further before locking her up.
She was later released the following day after paying Ksh300.
Also Read: Man Arrested After Building Fake Police Station
Bucket Serving as Toilet
Another victim named Mildred Ayuma recalled how she was picked up from her doorstep on the evening of March 6, a Friday, and taken to the cells without any explanation.
Ayuma recalled that upon reaching the cell, she found other prisoners being caned.
This comes after Police in March 9 arrested a man for running an illegal police patrol based in Cherus Centre, Kesses Sub-County in Uasin Gishu.
According to reports, the suspect, Collins Leitich, alias Chepkulei, was operating a police station without the knowledge or permission of the National Police Service (NPS).
Follow our WhatsApp Channel and join our WhatsApp Group for real-time news updates.
