Why are majority of Kenyans support detective Ahmed Rashid

One of the biggest debate raging on in the country right now is whether or not the government should continue to pursue charges against police officers such as Ahmed Rashid. For those of you not in the know, Ahmed Rashid is under investigation over what the DPP claims to be extrajudicial feelings. While some are celebrating his arrest a majority of Kenyans especially those living in the less privileged sections Pangani where he was based aren’t too happy about these new developments.

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Simply put the reason for this is that many of these Kenyans feel Ahmed Rashid is the type of police officer they need within their areas to protect them from ruthless hardened criminals.

This debate has especially gotten heated following the sharp spike in criminal activity within Nairobi and its environs. And this crime wave has seen a multitude of nairobi residents not only get mugged but stabbed and some have even succumb to those injuries. So seeing the police being targeted by the judiciary has exacerbated the citizenry is feeling of hopelessness and helplessness with many on social media arguing there that we are truly on our own.

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So why is there such a sharp divide in opinions over how to deal with these so-called killer cop squads? Well, there is the argument of Human Rights which are enshrined within Kenya’s constitution as well as making a case for the respect of law and following due process. However, most Kenyans know that the judiciary is a lame duck in fact it’s a toothless dog.

And so they support the “rogue” police officers who killed criminals as they see this as a permanent solution to a nagging problem. While it’s understood that most of these criminals are only engaging in these art out of desperation because the Kenyan economy is truly in the shitter, more and more businesses are shutting down, and the cost of living is spiralling out of control, the issue here is the fact that these criminals are targeting the very same citizenry who are grappling with the realities that have forced them into desperate measures.

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And that’s where Ahmed Rashid and his ilk step in. Google bulwark. It’s an age-old song kenya that whenever a criminal is arrested they get charged and they either bribe their way out or perhaps indeed the public prosecutors and equipped enough to have collected adequate evidence or sometimes Witnesses are intimidated to the point these same criminals get released shortly after.

And so it falls upon guys like Rashid Ahmed to serve as a bulwark against these hardened criminals who feel they can get away with anything. This is the same frustration a police officer explained to me as we chatted over what was currently going on and plagueing Kenya’s internal security. And so after engaging in the Cat and Mouse game a week sometimes months these officers feel they need to implement a final solution.

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And so they often visit the criminals family give them a warning and advise them to either get their sons and daughters to change or get them the hell out of dodge. Failure to adhere to this warning often these guys just get missing. And the ordinary Kenyans lives are made that much safer.

What’s complicating the current discussion is the fact that the Overton window discussing political assassinations by these same police officers has finally come up for debate. I think we can all agree that that is one issue that needs to be tackled however, failure to either strengthen the judiciary or empower the police officers to do their job in a meaningful manner means that this is merely a stop-gap; a political gimmick.

Ahmed Rashid who Pangani residents credit for having made the area safer is sacrificed at the altar of politics and the criminals are merely emboldened and so crime continues to plague Nairobi City.

I’m of the opinion that with the citizenry need to stop remaining silent as you watch someone who championed our safety get sacrificed to the political machinery we need to raise our voices in unison and demand the release of Rashid Ahmed. And I guarantee you the only three voices that will be in opposition of this at the same voices of the men and women who are mugging robbing carjacking raping and pillaging the streets of Nairobi.

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