Homa Bay gang targets widows, women whose husbands are away
A criminal gang in Homa Bay County has been targeting women and widows Manywanda, Kawaraya and Korwa villages in Rarieda Sub-County.
What you need to know:
- Villagers complained that elderly widows and married women whose husbands were away from home were being targeted in the attacks.
- The gang has been robbing and raping women before fleeing with stolen property, including livestock.
In Kamenya Sub-Location, Homa Bay County, elderly widows and married women whose husbands are away are a disturbed lot.
The source of their worry? A new vicious criminal gang that is prowling villages at night and targeting them for rape and robbery.
The gang has been active in Manywanda, Kawaraya and Korwa villages in Rarieda Sub-County.
Villagers say elderly widows and married women whose husbands are away from home are the main targets of attacks.
The gang robs and rapes women before fleeing with stolen property, including livestock.
Residents have raised concern over the crimes whose frequency is increasing.
Rangwe Deputy County Commissioner Thomas Nyoro told the Nation he had received reports about the activities of the gang and patrols had been stepped up.
“I assure the community in the affected area that we have stepped up patrols to improve security,” said the administrator.
Cries for justice
In Korwa Village, an 82-year-old woman said her home was broken into and all her household goods stolen.
“I was harvesting water from the roof of house as it rained in the dark when the gang struck and dragged me into the house. The group of young men threatened to kill me if I raised the alarm. They raped me in turns and fled,” said the woman.
The home where an 82-year-old woman was raped by an unidentified man in Kamenya Sub-location, Rangwe Sub-County.
In neighbouring Kawaraya Village, another widow is crying for justice after she was raped.
The rape victim said she had taken her meal and was about to go to sleep when the gang struck.
"It was raining and I had placed containers outside to collect water from the roof. When I went out to collect the water containers, a man emerged from the darkness and grabbed me by the neck. He forced me into the house and raped me,” said the widow.
She was taken to Ndiru health centre the next morning for treatment.
The two widows said they are still tormented by memories of the attacks and called on police to arrest the suspects.
Residents have complained that the investigations are taking too long.
Mr Zachia Oyugi, a victim of the attacks, said villagers were being targeted by a gang of unemployed youths.
The latest attacks are similar to raids on villages in Kibiri ward in Rachuonyo North Sub-County in 2019, which forced widows to flee their homes and take refuge in churches.
