It is dusk and ordinary
workers and traders are returning to their homes after a day’s toil. But for a
32-year-old Christine Achieng, the day is just starting. The sounds of Ohangla
music emanating from drinking dens and the voices of drunkards give one a feel
of a boisterous nightlife in Mageta Island. ALSO READ: Fishermen reach deal to
end lake row In a radius of only 20 meters, there are about three bars, liquor
shops and video show halls, complete with music. Shops, kiosks and hawkers that
sell cigarettes, sweets and light foods are abuzz with activity, complementing
the beer-stocked bars and video show halls. Off the main shore, there are
several dingy single-room lodges with creaking beds, a sight of empty condom
packages filling the dustbins and noises coming from the rooms that leave
little to imagination. Mingling with the fishermen and traders in the bustling
beach town are criminals who are using the dingy mabati rented rooms as hide
outs. Mageta is among the many islands
and beaches on Lake Victoria teeming with criminals, running away from the
police. From Oyamo in Bondo to Ringiti and Remba in Homa Bay and Migingo in
Migori, Lake Victoria islands have become paradise for criminals. Avoid
becoming a victim of Fake News. Subscribe to the Standard Group SMS service by
texting ‘NEWS’ to 22840. Some of those
using the many beaches as hide
outs include robbers on the run, murderers, rapists and
those who have jumped bail in various courts
across the country. At Mageta,
residents told the Standard of the growing insecurity because of the many
strangers docking at the Island, almost on a daily basis. “This place is no
longer safe. We would leave our motorbike outside because nobody would steal
them. But today, you cannot dare because criminals are beginning to get into
the island,” Achieng says. Every day, the island receives at least three
visitors who come to fish or tour, while criminals come to use the island as a
hideout. With a spectacular landscape and a population of about 7,000 people
from all over East Africa, Mageta Island is fast becoming an undisputed haven
for criminals, runaway convicts, smugglers and pirates. There are only four
Police officers running a patrol base on the island, but according to area
Chief Mr Ambrose Ogema, they are overwhelmed by the emerging cases of criminal
activities. “We are always forced to complement the four police officers in
patrolling the entire island,” says Ogema. A police officer, who sought
anonymity told The Sunday Standard that they are equally not safe. “We
cannot claim to be providing for security for the people living in the island,
yet we are most insecure. The patrol base does not have a fence and people walk
in and out even in the middle of the night and you cannot know their
intentions,” he said. Criminals have taken advantage of the island being
far from the mainland and the lapse in policing On these islands, residents
hardly sleep. If they are not fishing, they are in drinking dens or gambling.
He adds that smuggling and crime are slowly beginning to overshadow fishing
activities. “Most of these islands have become hiding places for criminals running
away from justice,” says Ogema. He adds that most of the fishermen come to the
beaches and change their names. They start using nicknames. This, Ogema says
becomes a security threat when they commit crime or die. Another disadvantage
for the islanders is insufficient amenities. Injustices are often not reported
due to inaccessibility of the areas. Residents in Sifu Island, for example, say
there is a growing number of illicit sexual relations between young girls,
divorced women, and the criminals whose identities were not known. Because of
the confusion, break down of law and order and long distance from the mainland,
it is difficult for police to get criminals hiding on the islands. Unlike
Mageta, Ndeda and Oyamo islands have no police officers. The nearest police
post is in Nango, which is in the mainland. “Even though there are no
police officers in the two islands, cases of conflicts and crimes are few. The
island is generally peaceful,” says Bondo MP Gideon Ochanda The Standard
traveled to the island following a public outcry that the government had turned
a blind eye on the security of the islanders. “We have been ensuring that
anybody who comes to the island as a fisherman must register with the Beach
Management Unit (BMU) before he could be allowed to operate in the island,”
says Samwel Juma, an official at Mahanga Beach. He however says that those who
come by public transport boats are not required to register with the BMU. He
adds that poor road network is also a security challenge in the island, with
motorbikes being the common and convenient means of transport. Michael Opondo,
a resident of Lolwe Island however says that the issue of identification or
registration before starting to operate or live in the island does not make
sense. “Those people who come to the island are just like those who travel to
Nairobi or other towns to look for a job but we have never heard them being
asked IDs,” says Opondo. The story is the same in the small but overpopulated
islands of Migingo in Migori, Ringiti, Remba, Kiwa in Takawiri in Homa
Bay. These islands have for many years
been a haven and perfect hide out for criminals running away from justice. On these bustling beaches, one finds
Ugandans, Kenyans, Congolese, Somalis and even Nigerians, most of whom rent the
small tin houses and engage in small time businesses to hide their identities.
Migingo Island Beach Management Unit Secretary Juma Mbaya confirmed that the
islands are used as hideouts by criminals but quickly adds that it was
difficult to identify them. “We cannot easily investigate newcomers’ criminal
records because the law accords them freedom of movement. We can only know that
some is a criminal if they are followed by authorities,” said Mbaya. On Ringiti
Island, a youth disappeared into the darkness after the beach officials
questioned his identity. It later emerged he was a bank robber on the run.
Another man identified as Onyango went to the island as a fisherman end of last
year. But area residents were surprised when police who had been trailing him
from Nairobi got hold of him for allegedly stealing of Sh200, 000 from the
city. The islands are also a haven for men who have elope with other people’s
wives. Bony Sidika, a fisherman at Kiwa Island said they had handled many such
cases. “We recently handled a case of a lady who was snatched from her husband
in Ndhiwa Sub County. We had to hand her back to the real husband,” said
Sidika. He argues that the hardship involved in accessing the islands encourage
people who have committed crime to hide on them. “We have also had cases where
suspects released on bond abscond court proceedings by hiding on the islands,”
said Sidika. Homa Bay County Commissioner Irungu Macharia confirmed that the
islands had been classified as hide outs for criminals and were being put under
security surveillance. “We have information that the islands are used as
hideouts of by people who come from various countries,” said Macharia. The
Commissioner said they had put community policing measures to curb the trend.
workers and traders are returning to their homes after a day’s toil. But for a
32-year-old Christine Achieng, the day is just starting. The sounds of Ohangla
music emanating from drinking dens and the voices of drunkards give one a feel
of a boisterous nightlife in Mageta Island. ALSO READ: Fishermen reach deal to
end lake row In a radius of only 20 meters, there are about three bars, liquor
shops and video show halls, complete with music. Shops, kiosks and hawkers that
sell cigarettes, sweets and light foods are abuzz with activity, complementing
the beer-stocked bars and video show halls. Off the main shore, there are
several dingy single-room lodges with creaking beds, a sight of empty condom
packages filling the dustbins and noises coming from the rooms that leave
little to imagination. Mingling with the fishermen and traders in the bustling
beach town are criminals who are using the dingy mabati rented rooms as hide
outs. Mageta is among the many islands
and beaches on Lake Victoria teeming with criminals, running away from the
police. From Oyamo in Bondo to Ringiti and Remba in Homa Bay and Migingo in
Migori, Lake Victoria islands have become paradise for criminals. Avoid
becoming a victim of Fake News. Subscribe to the Standard Group SMS service by
texting ‘NEWS’ to 22840. Some of those
using the many beaches as hide
outs include robbers on the run, murderers, rapists and
those who have jumped bail in various courts
across the country. At Mageta,
residents told the Standard of the growing insecurity because of the many
strangers docking at the Island, almost on a daily basis. “This place is no
longer safe. We would leave our motorbike outside because nobody would steal
them. But today, you cannot dare because criminals are beginning to get into
the island,” Achieng says. Every day, the island receives at least three
visitors who come to fish or tour, while criminals come to use the island as a
hideout. With a spectacular landscape and a population of about 7,000 people
from all over East Africa, Mageta Island is fast becoming an undisputed haven
for criminals, runaway convicts, smugglers and pirates. There are only four
Police officers running a patrol base on the island, but according to area
Chief Mr Ambrose Ogema, they are overwhelmed by the emerging cases of criminal
activities. “We are always forced to complement the four police officers in
patrolling the entire island,” says Ogema. A police officer, who sought
anonymity told The Sunday Standard that they are equally not safe. “We
cannot claim to be providing for security for the people living in the island,
yet we are most insecure. The patrol base does not have a fence and people walk
in and out even in the middle of the night and you cannot know their
intentions,” he said. Criminals have taken advantage of the island being
far from the mainland and the lapse in policing On these islands, residents
hardly sleep. If they are not fishing, they are in drinking dens or gambling.
He adds that smuggling and crime are slowly beginning to overshadow fishing
activities. “Most of these islands have become hiding places for criminals running
away from justice,” says Ogema. He adds that most of the fishermen come to the
beaches and change their names. They start using nicknames. This, Ogema says
becomes a security threat when they commit crime or die. Another disadvantage
for the islanders is insufficient amenities. Injustices are often not reported
due to inaccessibility of the areas. Residents in Sifu Island, for example, say
there is a growing number of illicit sexual relations between young girls,
divorced women, and the criminals whose identities were not known. Because of
the confusion, break down of law and order and long distance from the mainland,
it is difficult for police to get criminals hiding on the islands. Unlike
Mageta, Ndeda and Oyamo islands have no police officers. The nearest police
post is in Nango, which is in the mainland. “Even though there are no
police officers in the two islands, cases of conflicts and crimes are few. The
island is generally peaceful,” says Bondo MP Gideon Ochanda The Standard
traveled to the island following a public outcry that the government had turned
a blind eye on the security of the islanders. “We have been ensuring that
anybody who comes to the island as a fisherman must register with the Beach
Management Unit (BMU) before he could be allowed to operate in the island,”
says Samwel Juma, an official at Mahanga Beach. He however says that those who
come by public transport boats are not required to register with the BMU. He
adds that poor road network is also a security challenge in the island, with
motorbikes being the common and convenient means of transport. Michael Opondo,
a resident of Lolwe Island however says that the issue of identification or
registration before starting to operate or live in the island does not make
sense. “Those people who come to the island are just like those who travel to
Nairobi or other towns to look for a job but we have never heard them being
asked IDs,” says Opondo. The story is the same in the small but overpopulated
islands of Migingo in Migori, Ringiti, Remba, Kiwa in Takawiri in Homa
Bay. These islands have for many years
been a haven and perfect hide out for criminals running away from justice. On these bustling beaches, one finds
Ugandans, Kenyans, Congolese, Somalis and even Nigerians, most of whom rent the
small tin houses and engage in small time businesses to hide their identities.
Migingo Island Beach Management Unit Secretary Juma Mbaya confirmed that the
islands are used as hideouts by criminals but quickly adds that it was
difficult to identify them. “We cannot easily investigate newcomers’ criminal
records because the law accords them freedom of movement. We can only know that
some is a criminal if they are followed by authorities,” said Mbaya. On Ringiti
Island, a youth disappeared into the darkness after the beach officials
questioned his identity. It later emerged he was a bank robber on the run.
Another man identified as Onyango went to the island as a fisherman end of last
year. But area residents were surprised when police who had been trailing him
from Nairobi got hold of him for allegedly stealing of Sh200, 000 from the
city. The islands are also a haven for men who have elope with other people’s
wives. Bony Sidika, a fisherman at Kiwa Island said they had handled many such
cases. “We recently handled a case of a lady who was snatched from her husband
in Ndhiwa Sub County. We had to hand her back to the real husband,” said
Sidika. He argues that the hardship involved in accessing the islands encourage
people who have committed crime to hide on them. “We have also had cases where
suspects released on bond abscond court proceedings by hiding on the islands,”
said Sidika. Homa Bay County Commissioner Irungu Macharia confirmed that the
islands had been classified as hide outs for criminals and were being put under
security surveillance. “We have information that the islands are used as
hideouts of by people who come from various countries,” said Macharia. The
Commissioner said they had put community policing measures to curb the trend.