Six people were arrested on Thursday night in a gambling den situated 20 metres from a chief’s office in Murang’a town. In the sting operation, two gambling machines were seized and taken to the Murang’a Police Station.

County Commissioner Karuku Ngumo said members of the public had complained about the den, located within earshot of the Milimani chief’s office.

“I personally sent my officers there and true enough, the suspects were arrested as they gambled,” he said.

Gambling dens are a bad influence for the area’s children, said Murang’a East Residents Association chairman James Mwaura.

“It is in these dens that our children are indoctrinated into drug abuse and alcoholism,” he said. 

“It is in those dens that our children are exposed to illicit sex and to sustain their addictions, they start stealing from us before venturing out to rob so as to raise cash for those lifestyles.”

Mr Mwaura wondered how the area chief could pretend not to know about the gambling den operating openly in a rental room near his office.

“A chief has assistants and the Nyumba Kumi security committee members. He also has friendly residents who are supposed to share information with him. It is very suspect that illegal activities can be happening right under their noses,” he said.

Mr Ngumo encouraged residents to share information about illegal activities near them with the police and other authorities.

“Security is a collective task. Residents bear the brunt of insecurity. If they take it upon themselves to protest against criminals and crime in their settings, we will ably protect them,” he said.

He promised to investigate how criminal activities could be happening near a government office occupied by a security officer daily.

Mr Mwaura said that “it is common knowledge that some government officers collaborate with outlaws for a bribe”.

He said he was amused “to see one police officer dressed in a full blue uniform who is notorious for collecting a daily bribe from the gambling den in the team that executed the raid”.

He claimed the officer visits illegal dens, including those of bhang dealers, “collecting cash and tipping them about impending raids”. 

“This time round he was unlucky because the order to raid the gambling den came from the top of the county command,” he said.
Mr Ngumo said the raids would be sustained “and I will make follow-ups to ensure the dens do not reopen”.