The Kenya television network (KTN) last night conducted a fascinating opinion poll asking whether the execution by the police of a most wanted criminal was justified even after the notorious killer surrendered to authorities early yesterday morning in Athi River town.
Amazingly, 61% approved of the police action of gunning down Simon Matheri Ikere while 39% said the action was extra-judicial and he should have been arrested and charged in court for the crimes he allegedly committed.
According to the police, Matheri was almost single-handedly responsible for the upsurge in crime-related killings in Nairobi for the past few months and had also been linked to various car- jackings, bank robberies and murders.
His photograph was distributed to the media last week along with those of five others who police said were the most wanted criminals and cash rewards were offered to those who would pass information leading to their arrest nay, gunning down.
Matheri bit the bullet and knew it, by walking out of his estranged wife's house in Athi river with his hands up and dressed in only boxer shorts to prove to the police he had no concealed weapons, never-the-less, he was shot in the head after police confirmed he was 'their man'.
His death was music to the ears of those who lived in Gachie near Nairobi, the gangsters former abode as they celebrated and rejoiced on learning of his death. Hundreds of wananchi personally went to the city mortuary to confirm that he was actually the one that had been killed and came out smiling and singing while others said they would slaughter a goat to celebrate.
Why do majority of Kenyans prefer that the police should execute dangerous criminals and not grant them their right to trial before a court of law?
For starters, Kenya's judicial system is notorious for corruption and many people feel that if one is rich or has the right 'connections', there is no way you can go to jail even if enough evidence has been adduced to warrant a conviction.
In Matheri's case, he could easily have used his ill-gotten wealth to bribe a magistrate or even a judge and get released on a 'technicality' to the chagrin of law abiding citizens and his surviving victims.
And again, prosecutors in the country are known for their shoddy jobs not to mention that they are poorly paid police officers who are not properly trained in law and their evidence is usually pocked holes by shrewd lawyers who can easily get an acquittal for a violent robber.
It is also possible that police don’t have any tangible evidence to link Matheri to most of the crimes they accuse him of and if brought before a court of law, the only charge that can stick is being found with a firearm without a license, which is a minor bailable offence. He could then have been convicted to serve a few years in jail for the firearms charge. Facilities in the country are such that it is very difficult to even link weapons to a murder or violent crime.
All in all, this means that arresting Matheri and taking him in alive would have posed major challenges to the police in getting a successful prosecution. And because of the rampant corruption in the prisons department Matheri could even have been released pretty soon, long before the bad memories of his actions ould have had a chance to fade from the minds of the general public.
The police will also be happier to execute instead of arresting as this will usually save them a lot of time which is scarce considering their enormous workload of fighting brutal criminals every day who have just as deadly fire power as the police.
Then again, there is the issue of Matheri having had police contacts who assisted him. It could be very embarrassing for the gangster to go public with his list of contacts so it is usually much better that he dies as dead men tell no tales.
With the current alarming rate of criminal activities in the country, majority of Kenyans are practically living under siege and when a violent criminal is shot dead, it comes as a sigh of relief to many who consider one less bad guy has checked out for the next world and won't bother them again, not in this life, to say the least.
See also; The strange events of the night Simon Matheri died.
John Troon's shocking revelation about Moi and Biwott
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Why The Gunning Down Of Kenya's Most Wanted Criminal Will Not Bring Down The Crime Rate
Kenyans woke up to 'wonderful' news yesterday morning that one of the most wanted gangsters in the country had been shot dead outside the home of his estranged wife in Athi river after surrendering to the police.
At last, Kenyans were convinced that the security apparatus was finally 'waking up' from their deep slumber, which saw criminals operating unabated, wrecking havoc and getting away with it to the chagrin of law-abiding citizens who have been living in fear.
The execution of Samuel Matheri Ikere, a man credited with bank robberies and at least 8 murders could be 'good news' but this does not mean that the crime rate will come down. And neither will this latest development cause criminals to think twice before engaging in the dangerous trade. You see these are not the sixties or seventies.
There is a new brand of hardened criminals that have surfaced in the underworld that has even puzzled law enforcers and citizens alike. Unlike in the old days where the gunning down of a criminal would affect his colleagues who would be badly shaken and probably quit for a while, today's gangsters are a hardened lot who are as vicious and brutal as they come.
This can be proved by the fact that criminals don’t fear policemen anymore and even carry out revenge missions against law enforcers to the amazement of the public. This year alone, about 20 policemen have been shot dead by gangsters.
Today's criminals are also much younger compared to those of yester-years and we now have 16 year old kids wielding automatic rifles menacingly in the country's highways as they steal cars and kill motorists when they feel like it, even when they offer no resistance.
This teenagers live a disillusioned life where they see themselves as heroes and not villains and not surprising, their heroes are gangster music rappers like the late Tupac Shakur, Snoopy Doggy Dog and the late notorious B.I.G. who all glorify violence especially the so called drive-by –shootings popularly known as 7-11 in the United States. It is no accident that one of the most popular slogans in the industry is "get rich or die trying."
The minds of these care free youths have been poisoned further by the 'video culture' in middle and low class neighborhoods where video houses show movies that glamorize crime and violence linking it to the so called 'good life' filled with beautiful women and exotic cars not to mention raw power and influence.
For instance, in an estate like Kayole in Nairobi, six in every ten teenagers have seen an illegal firearm and probably know the basics of how to operate it with most of them being sucked into criminal activities through peer pressure from their neighbors and friends who convince them that they are too sly to get caught or get killed.
A friend of mine once visited a bar in the area during the day and was shocked that there were a few teenagers shooting pool who ALL had concealed pistols which were visible under their belts when they bent down to strike the ball on the table.
The most unfortunate fact about all this is that the parents of these teenage gangsters only come to know of their son's activities rather late when they have been shot dead or wounded during their deadly missions.
With an obscene unemployment rate, youngsters joining the underworld is common these days as they have very limited choices to eke out a honest living and have given up on life and getting shot dead in a robbery gone awry will be the last thing to bother their young minds as they go about their criminal activities.
For the girls, the only outlet for them is turning into prostitution or going after elderly rich men who 'keep' them as mistresses and supply them with all their requirements including a roof over their heads, clothes and food in exchange for sex whenever they feel like.
It has now become evident that fighting crime in Kenya will have to be one big team effort that focuses on long term gains rather than just quick fixes. We will not succeed by only offering cash for illegal fire arms (as important as that initiative is) but it will also be important to get the youth busy through sports and creating jobs for them so as to end idleness and a sense of hopelessness among these most productive age group which has now turned out to be the most destructive.
John Troon's shocking revelation about Moi and Biwott
At last, Kenyans were convinced that the security apparatus was finally 'waking up' from their deep slumber, which saw criminals operating unabated, wrecking havoc and getting away with it to the chagrin of law-abiding citizens who have been living in fear.
The execution of Samuel Matheri Ikere, a man credited with bank robberies and at least 8 murders could be 'good news' but this does not mean that the crime rate will come down. And neither will this latest development cause criminals to think twice before engaging in the dangerous trade. You see these are not the sixties or seventies.
There is a new brand of hardened criminals that have surfaced in the underworld that has even puzzled law enforcers and citizens alike. Unlike in the old days where the gunning down of a criminal would affect his colleagues who would be badly shaken and probably quit for a while, today's gangsters are a hardened lot who are as vicious and brutal as they come.
This can be proved by the fact that criminals don’t fear policemen anymore and even carry out revenge missions against law enforcers to the amazement of the public. This year alone, about 20 policemen have been shot dead by gangsters.
Today's criminals are also much younger compared to those of yester-years and we now have 16 year old kids wielding automatic rifles menacingly in the country's highways as they steal cars and kill motorists when they feel like it, even when they offer no resistance.
This teenagers live a disillusioned life where they see themselves as heroes and not villains and not surprising, their heroes are gangster music rappers like the late Tupac Shakur, Snoopy Doggy Dog and the late notorious B.I.G. who all glorify violence especially the so called drive-by –shootings popularly known as 7-11 in the United States. It is no accident that one of the most popular slogans in the industry is "get rich or die trying."
The minds of these care free youths have been poisoned further by the 'video culture' in middle and low class neighborhoods where video houses show movies that glamorize crime and violence linking it to the so called 'good life' filled with beautiful women and exotic cars not to mention raw power and influence.
For instance, in an estate like Kayole in Nairobi, six in every ten teenagers have seen an illegal firearm and probably know the basics of how to operate it with most of them being sucked into criminal activities through peer pressure from their neighbors and friends who convince them that they are too sly to get caught or get killed.
A friend of mine once visited a bar in the area during the day and was shocked that there were a few teenagers shooting pool who ALL had concealed pistols which were visible under their belts when they bent down to strike the ball on the table.
The most unfortunate fact about all this is that the parents of these teenage gangsters only come to know of their son's activities rather late when they have been shot dead or wounded during their deadly missions.
With an obscene unemployment rate, youngsters joining the underworld is common these days as they have very limited choices to eke out a honest living and have given up on life and getting shot dead in a robbery gone awry will be the last thing to bother their young minds as they go about their criminal activities.
For the girls, the only outlet for them is turning into prostitution or going after elderly rich men who 'keep' them as mistresses and supply them with all their requirements including a roof over their heads, clothes and food in exchange for sex whenever they feel like.
It has now become evident that fighting crime in Kenya will have to be one big team effort that focuses on long term gains rather than just quick fixes. We will not succeed by only offering cash for illegal fire arms (as important as that initiative is) but it will also be important to get the youth busy through sports and creating jobs for them so as to end idleness and a sense of hopelessness among these most productive age group which has now turned out to be the most destructive.
John Troon's shocking revelation about Moi and Biwott
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