Nowhere to hide for criminals as Busia residents clear bushes

Residents in Busia District have started clearing bushy and deserted sections which local leaders theorised were offering sanctuary to criminals.The Masafu Town Council Mayor, Mr Sam Mangeni Okumu, who led the residents in the exercise, said the stretch, which is over a kilometer long, was being used by criminals to attack especially boda boda riders.“Three weeks ago, we had a boda boda rider killed in this area, in addition to other attacks; that is why we have mobilised residents to have the bush cleared,” Mr Okumu said on July 22.He added that they were clearing the bush and leaving no space for criminals to hide.Using rudimentary garden tools, the residents from the Sub-counties of Buhehe, Masinya, Masafu, and Masafu Town Council embarked on slashing Masafu-Busikho Road along the Namwehubulo River.It is at this spot that Tony Makokha, 35, a boda boda rider, was reportedly killed and robbed of his motorcycle three weeks ago.On that fateful day, Makokha is said to have left his home in Siduhumi Village, Masinya Sub-county, for Masafu Town Council where he also operated a small business.But on his way back, he was attacked by a criminal gang that hit him on the head with a blunt object, according to his younger brother, Mr Cyrus Makokha.“We were told that there was an unidentified body at the Namwahubulo Swamp, and when we went there, we found it was Tony,” he said, adding that the killers took his motorcycle and an unspecified amount of money.Before the fatal attack on Tony (Makokha) at Namwehubulo Swamp, two boda boda riders were attacked in separate incidents, hacked, left for the dead and robbed of their motorcycles and other valuables.Mr Jackson Onyango, who came all the way from neighbouring Buhehe Sub-county to participate in the slashing exercise, said a boda boda rider identified as Esau Opio was last year hit on the head with a blunt object and left for dead at that spot; however, his motorcycle was taken.Mr Jude Lusimbo, a resident of Masafu Sub-county who joined the clearing exercise, said criminals had resorted to waylaying road users along the section, especially in the night, and hacking them before robbing them of their valuables.He added: “Many people have fallen victim to the assailants yet it is a busy road used by school-going pupils as early as 6am. That is why we are removing all the grass that was covering the road.”The road also links Masafu Town Council to Masinya, Buhehe and Lumino Sub-counties; however, the district has not worked on it for close to five years.Mr Alex Okuku, a resident of Siduhumi Village in Masinya Sub-county, says the road is full of potholes and nearly covered by overgrown grass.Ms Loyce Akuku, a councilor representing Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) at Masafu Town Council, said many PWDs had stopped using the road because of its many potholes, gullies and insecurity.Mr Okumu, however, says the district has planned for rehabilitation of the road during this financial year.Busia District has, for the past week, been rocked by a new crime wave involving armed robberies perpetuated by machete-wielding thugs. The indiscriminate attacks initially targeted Ms Shamusi Tukahirwa, a mobile money operator in Arubaine Village, who was attacked by two men armed with a pistol and an AK-47 assault rifle as she returned home shortly after 7pm.The latest attack was on Mr James Egesa, a resident of Busiwondo ‘A’ Village in Dabani Sub-county, who was reportedly waylaid as he returned home last Friday evening and robbed of unspecified amounts of money.Mr Egesa, a Director JiLead Financial Services, was robbed about 30 meters away from the Office of Busia Resident District Commissioner (RDC).Bukedi South Region Police Publicist, Mr Moses Mugwe, said 24 suspects have been arrested to aid in their investigations.