Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu County.
Inside Philister Ogula’s one-roomed house located in Nyawita slum in Kisumu County, only one peculiar thing hangs on the wall - a calendar.
When Nation.Africa recently paid her a visit, her calendar was still stuck on the month of May.
May 13, on her calendar is circled with a bold red mark.
As we settled down, Ms Ogula pulled out, from under a heap of clothes, a printed banner bearing the image of her late husband.
“That date circled is the day I became a widow,” Ms Ogula says.
The 35-year-old lost her husband, who was attacked by criminals, on his way back home from work.
Richard Odhiambo, a 49-year-old hawker selling assorted electronic gadgets, was murdered by thugs on the night of May 13 just a few meters away from Kondele roundabout.
On the fateful night Ms Ogula became worried when her husband failed to make it back home at 11:30pm, as had always been the case.
Things would later take a grim turn after a neighbour came to her doorstep bearing news of a murder that occurred during the night.
A visit later to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital mortuary confirmed her worst fears.
Ten years ago, Ms Ogula's husband had been attacked at the same spot and sustained serious head injuries. He was treated at the same hospital.
“My husband was humble, innocent, and peace-loving. He was not known to be violent,” she says.
In Kisumu, the human cost of these gang attacks is stark.
In just two hospitals, at least six deaths and over 260 attack victims have been recorded in five months; shot, stabbed, hacked or clobbered.
From July 1 to October 22, at least 81 assault cases linked to gang attacks were handled by medics at the Kisumu County Referral Hospital alone.
Majority of the patients had deep cuts on the head and broken jaws.
The statistics at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital are not any better. Records at the hospital indicate that in the month of September 34 people were treated at the facility for assault with 64 others being attended to in October.
Between July and June, the hospital recorded 82 cases related to criminal attacks.
In the month of October crossing to November, a total of six deaths were reported at both the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital and Kisumu County Referral Hospital.
Among the dead were a night guard who was brutally murdered next to Ofafa Memorial Hall and a prison warder attached to Kibos Maximum Prison who was killed at Elgons Estate.
At the referral hospital, Mr Victor Wafula struggles to sit upright with the help of a nurse.
The huge swelling on his right cheek is almost covering his eye. He bows his head to reveal another bump towards his nape.
"I was attacked at 9pm in Nyawita Estate while speaking on phone with a client," he says.
He adds: "Someone who seemed to have followed me from my shop where I sell eggs, struck me repeatedly on the head with a blunt object until I passed out. My neighbours brought me to the hospital."
He says that the attacker took his three mobile phones, Sh10,000, assorted scratch cards, and a bag. He also mentions that the attack was his second, having survived another beating in 2019.
Coincidentally as Mr Wafula was being assaulted in Nyawita, four kilometres away in Kisumu’s posh Millimani estate, Mr Kevin Liluma, a carpenter, was also undergoing a similar ordeal.
“I don’t even remember how I got to the Referral hospital, I guess someone took me there on a motorbike. I didn't even get to see my attackers. They took away my bag which had my tools, my phone, wallet and even my shoes,” Mr Liluma says.
Mr Chrispine Nyambok, another attack victim, says he lost his wife Grace Awino to two armed men brandishing an AK-47 and a pistol who pounced on the couple at around 5pm as they were heading home from Kibuye market where they ran an M-Pesa agent business.
The two armed men reportedly intercepted the motorcycle the couple was using near Hekima School in Lolwe and ordered them to lie down on the ground.
"One of the men fired a shot into the air to scare away anyone who dared to intervene before turning the gun on my wife. He shot her twice on the chest and hand," says Mr Nyambok.
Ms Awino would later succumb to her wounds in hospital after the couple was robbed of Sh170,000.
Police would later arrest one of the suspects and recover the rifle which they said was stolen from a Ugandan police officer. Also recovered was a Toyota Axio alleged to have been used by the suspects to escape from the scene.
A suspect identified as Robert Wakolo, whom police has linked to the recent murder of Willis Ayieko, the human resources director of Wells Fargo, is said to have been part of the gang that staged the robbery.
Surprisingly, this was not the first time Mr Nyambok had been targeted in this area. In July 2023 he was attacked by robbers at the same spot and sustained a head injury that required eight stitches to fix. The case of Ms Awino's murder is still ongoing at Winam Court.
In Riat Estate, a family is in distress after losing two members to gang attacks in less than two months.
Mr Ibrahim Achego was murdered just 500 meters from their home while heading to a nearby shop. The incident happened at around 7pm. His mother, Ms Grace Akinyi, heard a loud scream followed by silence.
“I fainted when I saw my son oozing blood from his stomach. He was stabbed by unknown people,” she says.
On July 2, Mr John Onyango, a cousin of Mr Achego, was attacked at 1pm and robbed of his mobile phone by assailants on a motorbike.
Ms Goretty Okal, Mr Onyango’s sister, was shocked to learn that her brother was brutally beaten to death during the day, just a few meters away from a police station.
“My brother went to buy airtime for his phone. Later, we received a call that he was dead. When I arrived at the scene, I discovered that he had been stabbed an hour earlier. Since it was the Gen Z protests day, there were no vehicles available to rush him to the hospital,” she said.
Apart from the residents, Kisumu County governor Anyang’ Nyong’o is also worried.
“This insecurity in Kisumu is just too much. We need effective security intervention. I have passed the message to the cabinet secretary for internal security,” said Governor Ny’ong’o when Nation.Africa reached him for a comment.
Investigations by Nation.Africa have revealed that the gangs terrorising Kisumu residents operate in organised groups and have infiltrated most of the city's residential estates such as Obunga, Manyatta, Nyalenda, Kibos, Kondele, Bandani, Migosi, Mamboleo, Nyamasaria, Millimani, Kaloleni, Lolwe, Polyview and Carwash.
According to a reformed gang member turned police informer, most of the gangs are made up of young men aged between 12 and 30 years.
He says the gangs recruit new members during funerals of slain ‘comrades’ and in political gatherings.
“Majorly, ‘men in black’ who pose as security detail for powerful individuals are the ones recruiting the junior gangs. Some of them are the ring leaders,” says the informer, who spoke in confidence for fear of reprisals.
It has also emerged that the gang members frequently meet at night clubs located in Mamboleo and Kondele as well as chang'aa dens (bars selling illicit alcohol), where they plan their missions.
Motorcycles are their preferred getaway mode of transport with a few isolated cases where motor vehicles have been used, like the Migosi estate killing of an M-Pesa agent earlier this year.
The gangs often pose as legitimate boda boda (motorcycle taxi) operators, only to turn against unsuspecting passengers with the help of accomplices lurking in the dark.
Targeting seems to be a mixed bag. Sometimes victims are chosen at random, or through profiling while others are seemingly high-profile individuals.
Their modus operandi involves a disorienting strike to the head of the victim using a metal rod they have christened ‘dimbo’ followed by a swift descent by the entire group to steal all valuables from the heavily bleeding and sometimes unconscious target.
Weaponry varies. Besides the metal rods, knives (Rambo) and machete are also common.
Guns are rare, but some like a notorious gang leader commanding the Carwash Gang, wields a pistol allegedly acquired from Uganda. This firearm is said to be available for hire to other gangs for a hefty upfront fee of Sh100,000 with a performance-based bonus.
Another firearm, according to the informant, is owned by the Kaloleni Gang operating under the command of another vicious gangster.
The Kondele gang is also suspected to be in possession of an illegal firearm.
Operating primarily between 8pm and 1am, these gangs are said to have connections with some local politicians who bail their members out whenever they are apprehended.
Specialisation seems to be a defining feature, with distinct groups focused on tasks like assassination, mugging, and internal discipline.
Each group maintains its own territory, with strict adherence to avoid conflict within their own turf. Success is rewarded, while failure incurs the wrath of the gang leader.
Craze for lavish lifestyle among the youth, high unemployment rate and collapsed family structures have been cited as some of the issues contributing to the problem.
"Many of these young people want to live large yet they don't have legitimate means to achieve this and so gang life seems to offer a quick and easy way to actualise their desires,” says a police officer who, however, asked to remain anonymous.
The officer also highlighted challenges of jurisdiction and corruption within the police force as some of the reasons that hinder the fight against crime in the lakeside city.
Kisumu County security team has flagged the following areas as danger spots and advised residents to avoid them any time after 6:45pm.
The road next to Nightingale Hospital in Milimani estate, Swan Centre along Oginga Odinga Street, Victoria Park within Millimani, Molem, Nyamasaria foot bridge, Bus park, Tom Mboya Labor College, Bandani estate, Kamas, Nyalenda and Kaloleni.
The attacks have slowly spread to Kisumu rural with Seme sub-county being one of the worst hit. Security is reported to be compromised in areas such as Holo, Kombewa market and its environs, Kolenyo, Riat, Reru, Barkorwa and Namba Kapiyo.
Criminals are said to be breaking into shops and homes and blocking roads with stones.
In Kisumu West Sub-County security issues have been raised in Obambo, Maseno town and along the Kisumu Busia Road between Kisian junction and Luanda town in the neighbouring Vihiga County.
Kisumu County Commissioner Benson Leparmorijo cited what he termed as undue interference by "powerful individuals" as one of the factors derailing the wheel of justice.
The commissioner also criticised alleged collusion between some police officers and prosecutors, which he noted emboldened criminals and eroded public trust. He expressed frustration with the frequent dismissal of charges against arrested suspects, even without clear explanations.
“We had an incident not long ago where a suspect, upon being released on bail, returned to the police station to greet the officer who had arrested him,” said Mr Leparmorijo in an interview with Nation.Africa.
The county commissioner said that police officers were in hot pursuit of 11 individuals believed to be in possession of illegal firearms around the county promising to restore law and order within the lakeside county.
Kisumu Deputy Governor Matthews Owili has expressed concern over persistent cases of crime within the city and its environs.
”Whereas it is true that there has been insecurity in parts of the county, I wish to report that this matter is being handled with the seriousness it deserves," he said during the Mashuja Day celebrations on Sunday, October 20.
He went on: "We are hesitant to generalise all Boda Boda riders as criminals but we advise the operators to come clean and help us isolate the rotten eggs amongst them before we take stern action," said Mr Owili.
In a desperate attempt to arrest the runaway crime police in Obunga and Kondele stations are said to have imposed a 9pm to 6am curfew in some hotspots such as Obunga, Nyawita and Migosi. However the move has been vehemently opposed by some of the residents.
“We want the curfews to be lifted immediately because the police use them to harass innocent residents instead of dealing with the criminals,” says Mr Kennedy Owino.
On November 6, some angry residents of Obunga slums stormed the local police station demanding that the law enforcers hand over to them a robbery suspect identified as Michael Onyango Ochieng, alias Jonyo, so that they can subject him to what they called ‘executive justice’.
Their demands were, however, rejected by the police.
“We are not in Haiti, we must live peacefully and comfortably and run our businesses in the community peacefully. So if you can’t help us we are not helpless, we will help ourselves and it is very dangerous,” Mr George Okoth, a resident of Obunga slums says.
Some industry stakeholders led by Lake Victoria Tourism Association have proposed a raft of measures including community involvement, advanced surveillance and improved police response as some of the possible ways to curb the crime wave.
In a letter addressed to Kisumu City manager, the chief executive officer of Lake Victoria Tourism Association, Charles Kataro, noted that the outlined measures will significantly help arrest persistent insecurity challenges in the region.
The authority further suggested the installation of CCTV cameras in strategic areas, utilisation of smart technologies and introduction of an emergency hotline to enable rapid response to incidents.
In an attempt to fix the insecurity rot in Kisumu, police headquarters recently transferred four senior officers, including Kisumu East Sub-County police commander Joseph Obara, county criminal investigation officer, county directorate of criminal investigation officer and the officer in charge of Kisumu Central police station Karani Njagi.
