Residents of Thika Sub-County have challenged Kiambu county commissioner to ensure security is beefed up in the area at night following the killing of three people in separate incidents.
Speaking during the vetting of bar owners in Thika Town Community Hall on Thursday, the residents accused Mrs Esther Maina for allegedly failing to take action despite regular reports from them.
They threatened to hold demonstrations against her, accusing her of incompetence and arrogance; something they said was partly contributing to insecurity in the town.
“We cannot continue suffering in the presence of the county commissioner. She has failed to marshal her team well and you can see the results. As residents, we are living in fear, walking in town at night is really a gamble,” said James Mwangi, a youth leader in Thika.
The residents expressed their discontent with how security issues are being handled in the area accusing Maina strongly after the commissioner attended the bars’ vetting meeting.
They called for deployment of more security officers in Thika West and East areas saying that the areas have been operating with few officers.
"Anytime we call for the help from officers, we are told that the officers are out for patrol. We want to see security personnel deployed to the hotspots for the sake of improving our security,” another resident said.
The meeting was almost foiled by the irate residents who heckled the commissioner before area legislator Alice Wambui came to her rescue.