Kisii County Commissioner Godfrey Kigochi. [Photo/Standard.]Traders operating at Keumbu market have demanded the immediate transfer of rogue police officers attached to Keumbu police station.
The traders were speaking on Sunday at the market claiming that police officers have been harassing them and arresting them unnecessary.
“We depend on selling sugarcane, ripe bananas, and sweet potatoes but the officers have been harassing and beating us claiming that we are operating illegally on the road. We want Kisii County commissioner Godfrey Kigochi to transfer the officers because they are only interested in bribes,” said Margaret Nyakoyo, a trader.
Milkah Kwamboka accused the officers of attacking them when they went to pay fines at the station where one of the traders was arrested.
“A trader was arrested and locked up in the cells. Police demanded Sh10,000 before they release her but when we went to pay the money for her to be freed we were attacked by an officer who claimed that we pay an extra Sh1,000 for them to release the trader. This is unacceptable and Kisii governor James Ongwae should intervene and ensure officers deployed in the county are not corrupt,” she said.
She said they pay daily taxes and the officers should stop intimidating them.