A police land cruiser. Law enforcers in Eldoret have recruited youth to help fight crime. [Photo/wikimedia]
Police in Eldoret East have begun recruiting youth who will work closely with authorities in fighting crime.
Eldoret East OCPD Richard Omanga said on Saturday that the initiative aims at curbing rising crime in Eldoret East sub-county.
Omanga spoke three days after bodies of marathon athlete Richard Tirop Kesio and his friend, Mathew Kimutai Kemboi were found in Eldoret town. The two allegedly spent a night out before being murdered.
"The easiest way to succeed in fighting criminality is by enforcing community policing," Omanga said in Eldoret after attending a county security meeting.
"We have agreed with selected youth that we as police will work with them in identifying criminals and report them to authorities."
The bodies of Tirop and his friend were on Thursday morning, with the injuries sustained clearly indicating it was a brutal murder.
The two suffered multiple injuries that were likely inflicted with blunt objects. Tirop, 44, was an athlete who participated in several marathons in the United States.
According to residents, at least six people have been killed in similar fashion over the last one year. They accused the county government of failing to install street lights in the area, despite the rising crime.