A police Officer Commanding Station (OCS) in Lamu is receiving treatment after he was attacked with a machete on Tuesday afternoon, 13 October, while leading an operation to arrest a suspect accused of terrorising residents. The assault has drawn condemnation from police and human rights activists, and comes as security officers on Lamu Island warn of a resurgence of machete-wielding youth gangs.

According to Taifa Leo, the OCS was heading a team of six officers sent to confront a man who had reportedly been moving around armed with a machete and frightening members of the public. The newspaper said the suspect ignored orders to put down the weapon and give himself up, then advanced on the OCS and cut him on the front of the head.

Suspect shot and hospitalised

Other officers in the team opened fire to stop the attack, hitting the suspect twice in the left leg, Taifa Leo reported. The man was taken to King Fahd County Referral Hospital in Lamu, where he is admitted for treatment. The injured OCS was taken to a hospital that police did not name.

Lamu County Police Commander Shadrack Ruto issued a stern warning to residents who attack officers, describing such assaults as unlawful. He said police would not tolerate anyone who confronts them with the intention of causing harm, and indicated that officers were prepared to use their firearms to protect their own lives, the paper reported.

The Daily Nation, which described the attacker as unidentified, reported that police and activists had condemned the attack on the station commander. It is not the first time activists have raised concern over violence against officers on the island. In a previous incident, human rights campaigners condemned the stabbing of a Directorate of Criminal Investigations officer on Lamu Island and warned of growing youth involvement in violent crime, The Eastleigh Voice reported.

Alarm over the return of 'Panga Boys'

The attack has revived concern over the so-called Panga Boys, loosely organised groups of youths who arm themselves with machetes. Lamu Central Police Commander William Ngolo has expressed worry over the return of the gangs on Lamu Island, Citizen TV and KTN News reported this week.

Police have since intensified security operations on the island following the resurgence, according to The Eastleigh Voice, amid fresh fears among residents over their safety.

The courts have also been dealing with members of the gangs. Two men linked to the Panga Boys were recently jailed for five years over a break-in at Mtangawanda Primary School in Lamu East, in which construction materials were stolen, Citizen Digital and The Eastleigh Voice reported.

Officers increasingly targeted

Lamu, a county better known for its historic old town and tourism, has in the past grappled with attacks on security personnel, ranging from extremist raids on the mainland to assaults by armed gangs in villages and on the islands. The latest incident is likely to add pressure on the National Police Service to step up patrols and community policing in the affected neighbourhoods.

The condition of the injured OCS had not been made public by the time of publishing.

Photo: Citizen TV (Lamu Police Station)