Malindi Security Committee declares war on narcotics

Malindi,

Sunday, October 22, 2023,

KNA by Emmanuel Masha 

The Malindi Sub County Security Committee Friday declared war on narcotic drugs, disco Matanga, child paedophiles and the killing of elderly persons in the sub-county.

Speaking at Malindi town’s Cleopatra Grounds during celebrations to mark this year’s Mashujaa Day, committee members led by Deputy County Commissioner David Lusava said the committee would use everything at its disposal to eradicate the menaces, which they said were rampant in the area.

Mr. Lusava said the committee would target drug dealers and peddlers as well as the addicts, and ordered the removal of a host of drug addicts that had set camp outside the Malindi Sub County Hospital after receiving methadone, a narcotic drug antidote they received from the hospital.

 “I thought the drug menace ended when we impounded a haul of drugs worth more than Sh1 billion when I was a district officer here in 2004, but the menace seems to be persisting. We have identified the hotspots and those involved and we shall ensure this menace is eradicated,” the DCC said.

He said the government would not allow discos to be played in funerals especially during National Examinations, warning that those who would host disco Matanga would be arrested and prosecuted, sentiments also shared by Malindi Sub County Police Commander Wilmont Mwakio.

Lusava and Mwakio stressed the need for children to be allowed to go to school instead of attending disco Matanga, which they said was responsible for many ills, including poor educational levels in the area.

Mr Lusava urged parents to ensure that their children are educated and warned people who were reportedly defiling young girls and boys, saying their days are numbered.

He also warned a group of professional squatters known as team mashamba to stop its practice of invading private land, subdividing and selling it to unsuspecting members of the public, noting that such cases had become rampant and would not be allowed to continue.

He decried the killing of an elderly persons suspected to be practising witchcraft and warned that all family members of victims would be rounded up and prosecuted if no one volunteered information about the perpetrators.

Kilifi County Prisons Commander Onesmus Kyalo, who is also in charge of the Malindi GK Prison, lamented that many inmates at the correctional facility were elderly persons aged over 60 years who had been convicted of defilement charges.

He said there was a need for such men to be counselled as it was not normal for such old people to commit sexual offences against children.

A similar claim had been made by Ms Helder Lameck, a gender rights activist, who had earlier claimed that extremely old men had formed the habit of defiling young girls.

Courtesy; KNA