Residents of Usenge in Siaya County are demanding the immediate transfer of Rural Border Patrol Base Police officers( QRT) along the Bondo-Usenge road.
Led by Yimbo East MCA Francis Otiato, the residents claim the police posted to man the border have turned into criminals engaging in extortion and brutality.
While speaking to Kahawa Tungu, the County legislator said the QRT have denounced their duty of protecting the border and the area residents and have since turned into mercenaries evoking mayhem and meting untold brutality on the people.
He claims the police conduct illegal house to house raids and make random mass arrests on youth where no offense is booked and they have to part with at least Sh1,000 with Boda boda operators being the biggest victims.
READ: Man rapes, hacks 72 year old granny in Siaya County
“They break Motorbikes and beat people mercilessly; some even sexually assault women and defile children,” the MCA said adding that when a Human Rights Activist followed on a defilement case involving one of the officers, the culprit and his colleagues waylaid the man, beat him and injured his spinal cord and is currently bedridden.
The rogue officers allegedly enjoy the protection of their boss, County Commander Sara Duncan who sources intimated Kahawa Tungu is into Charcoal business along the border and is also protecting businessmen who are into the illegal cheap liquor from Uganda.
A woman who pleaded anonymity said the Border Police Unit sexually assault women including shoving their fingers inside private parts of women they have arrested on the beaches.
Otiato said they have been promised the rogue police will betaken to patrol Migori but says disciplinary action must be taken against those culpable of the aforementioned ills saying taking them to Migori is transferring the problem not solving.
March this year, the Unit came under fire for beating Standard Media Group reporter Isaiah Gwengi in Usenge town.
After arresting Gwengi, they stripped him naked and gave him a severe beating, inflicting injuries to his head and parts of his body, and confiscated his phone and SIM cards.
Gwengi was arrested together with human rights activist Rodgers Ochieng while interviewing Usenge residents who have been complaining of systematic harassment by the QRT and its brutal methods.
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