Americans Murdered By Carjackers In Escalating Kenyan Crime Wave

Last week, two Americans were gunned down in a botched up car jacking incident that proved that foreigners are just as vulnerable as the locals in the runaway crime situation that has turned out to be a nightmare for president Kibaki's administration.

The Americans were dragged out of their vehicle and shot dead as they waited for a friend in the crime prone Nairobi-Naivasha highway in the comfort of their sports utility vehicle, SUV, which are popularly known here as four wheel drives.

Little did the Americans know that they had parked their vehicle in a crime infested area and when they were dragged out of their vehicle, one of the American ladies became hysterical and started screaming, this probably led to their shooting as the thugs must have panicked.

In record time, a contingent of policemen arrived at the scene and combed the area swiftly in a fruitful operation that led to the gunning down of two suspected carjackers and the recovery of two AK-47 assault rifles which incidentally has become the weapon of choice for local hoodlums.

That was not all, American federal bureau of investigations, FBI, personnel also visited the crime scene and collected evidence. The Americans are yet to disclose the identities of the victims and where exactly they worked in the country.

The escalation of violent crime in Kenya is nothing new and the situation could have been arrested four years ago when president Kibaki assured Kenyans that fighting crime would be top in his agenda.

Taxpayers expected more policemen patrolling the streets and better terms of service for the men and women who put their lives on the line daily as they go about their duties and face usually better armed hardcore criminals.

Kenya's police force is not just ill equipped but their morale is very low due to poor terms of service not to mention the squalid accommodation they are offered by their employers who are quick to accuse them of corruption yet they have failed to address themselves to the fundamental problems facing the force.

The contract of the police commissioner, Hussein Ali expires this coming month and it remains to be seen whether the president will extend it or replace him with another (most probably a member of Kibaki's own Kikuyu community) as he braces himself for general elections later in the year.

Ali had proposed radical and far-reaching reforms for the force which are yet to be implemented due to cash constraints and lack of political will on the ruling elite's part who seem to have their priorities up side down. Ali has tried hard and should be retained, but will also probably be glad to leave the thankless frustrating job he has at Vigilance house.

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