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Nakuru has become a crime hotspot, ranking fourth nationally.
Rashid Adan will never forget the phone call that shattered his family.
Last Friday, he received a distressing message from a close friend that his elder brother, Ali Kala Batu, had been stabbed repeatedly and was fighting for his life.
Adan dropped everything and rushed to the local hospital in Naivasha, where he found Batu lying unconscious on a bed. Though there was a glimmer of hope that he would survive, hours later, as doctors fought to save him, Batu breathed his last.
The 44-year-old fishmonger described by relatives as a hardworking family man and breadwinner had been at a local bar with friends before deciding to walk home to his nearby house in Kasarani estate in Naivasha, Nakuru County.
On the way, he was attacked by a man said to be well known in the neighbourhood.
The assailant stabbed him multiple times, robbed him of valuables and fled, leaving him bleeding profusely on the ground.
Friends and locals who arrived at the scene rushed Batu to the hospital, but he died a few hours later.
“We were told Batu had confrontations with another man who stabbed him several times. The attacker is believed to be a neighbour but he has since gone into hiding,” Adan said.
A post-mortem conducted at Naivasha Sub-County Hospital confirmed that Batu died from excessive bleeding and internal injuries caused by the stabbing.
He leaves behind a widow and three children.
“Batu was a family man who sold fish to support his household. We do not know if we will ever get justice. We call on police to conduct a speedy investigation into his death,” Adan added.
A street urchin directs a motorist park his vehicle along Kenyatta Avenue in Nakuru City on February 12, 2026 at 6:30 pm. Poor street lighting contributes greatly towards the city going asleep from 8 pm.
Naivasha Sub-County Police Commander Wilson Sigei acknowledged that insecurity cases have been on the rise in Kasarani estate.
He said Batu’s murder has been forwarded to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), and officers are pursuing the suspect, who remains at large.
Batu’s killing is only one of several violent incidents that have shaken Kasarani residents in recent days.
On February 9, Jacob Nyagwara stepped outside his single-room house when a man suddenly emerged from a corner and attacked him.
Nyagwara sustained serious injuries to his left eye after being stabbed repeatedly before the assailant vanished.
“The attack happened so fast. My assailant looked panicky, like he was escaping from something or someone, then he came straight at me I tried to get up but my legs felt weak. I could feel blood on my face, and my eyes went dark. I thought I was going to collapse,” Nyagwara recalled.
Neighbours and passersby responded to his cries for help, but the attacker escaped.
Nyagwara’s left eye was severely affected, and his face remains swollen several days later. He reported the matter at Kasarani Police Post, where officers issued him a P3 form documenting his injuries.
Read: Hit and run or homicide? Mysterious death of Naivasha woman after a quarrel with British boyfriend
The suspect, who is known to him, has since gone underground.
About 500 metres away, Ms Agnes Kerubo, a food vendor, says she is also living in fear after being attacked by a man known to her.
Kerubo said she had left her stand under her daughter’s watch and gone home to rest after feeling unwell.
Minutes later, she was woken by knocks on the door.
“A man forced his way inside and pounced on me,” she said.
Despite reporting the incident more than a week ago, she says no arrest has been made.
“I used to close my business around 9.30pm but now once darkness sets in, I leave immediately,” she said.
Residents say criminal gangs operating on motorbikes have been terrorising Kasarani estate, robbing people of phones, cash and other valuables.
In some cases, attackers use knives or sharp objects, leaving victims seriously injured or dead.
Locals blame the surge in crime on unemployment, idle youth, dark streets and lack of regular police patrols.
Alcohol and substance abuse are also suspected of fueling the insecurity.
“There are many young men who are idle and hooked on drugs. They attack people to get money for their next drink or dose. If nothing is done, more lives will be lost,” claimed Ms Ann Wangari.
Some residents have also accused rogue officers of turning a blind eye to crime, alleging that bribes allow known criminals to roam freely.
The violence unfolding in Kasarani reflects a wider pattern across Nakuru County.
A 2025 survey by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) ranks Nakuru fourth in crime prevalence after Nairobi, Kiambu and Meru.
The latest report released on May 6 2025, paints a grim picture, warning that Nakuru is becoming one of the most dangerous places to live.
In 2024, Nairobi recorded 9,717 crime cases, Kiambu 8,865, Nakuru 5,487, while Meru reported 4,664.
The KNBS report shows that crime in Nakuru has steadily risen over recent years, with 3,492 cases in 2020, 4,281 in 2021, 4,514 in 2022 and 5,072 in 2023
Although there was a slight drop last year, Nakuru remains under the grip of criminal gangs.
Nationally, KNBS notes that total reported crimes decreased by 3.5 per cent to 101,220 in 2024, but offences involving police officers and other penal code offences increased significantly.
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