Kenya’s Coast Regional Police Commander Ali Nuno declared a shoot-to-kill order on armed gangs who have allegedly been carrying out a string of violent robberies against residents of Mombasa and Kilifi countries.
Speaking to the press over the weekend, Nuno said the police are being authorised to deal ruthlessly with “machete-wielding criminals”as the security operatives intensified operations against violent crime across Kenya’s coastal region.
Nuno said officers have the right to protect themselves and members of the public when facing immediate danger from armed suspects. His directive applies to hotspots in Mombasa, Kilifi and Kwale counties, where panga-wielding gangs have been running amuck targeting civilians.
The directive follows a resurgence of violent gangs, some of whom were captured on Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras robbing and injuring innocent members of the public in neighbouring coastal counties.
Nuno assured residents that security is being stepped up across the troubled region, while warning against criminal activities, noting that the police will ultimately catch up with them.
“You have only two options, as we normally say. You desist and accept to change. If you are not going to accept that, the second option is to move out of the entire coastal region,” he said.
The police commander warned the marauding criminals that their days were numbered and that police will do whatever it takes to restore order and sanity in the region.
Members of the public were urged to refrain from raising false alarms through the circulation of videos, warning that this could jeopardise investigations and enable suspects to flee.
Many of them are still at large, the police boss said.
However, Nuno said the police were actively pursuing the suspects on the run, assuring the public that all available government resources will be deployed to guarantee their safety and security.
MG/as/APA