Crucial documents lost as chief’s office razed in arson attack

Kambe location chief Carson Matsaki Mchonga sifts through burnt documents following an arson attack on his office in Rabai District, Kilifi County, by unknown people on Monday night. Inset: A partially burnt death certificate. [PHOTO: Gideon Maundu /STANDARD]

By NGUMBAO KITHI and STANLEY MWAHANGA

Unknown people torched a chief’s office in Kambe location, Kilifi County, destroying all documents inside.

The office appears not to have been guarded at the time of the early Tuesday attack.

Area chief, Carlson Matsaki Mchonga, said the gangsters raided the office at around 3am and set it on fire, destroying a motorcycle and documents inside.

“All the documents belonging to the local people have been burnt and this is really shocking,” he said.

“The office was built in 1995 when Peter Kiilu was Coast PC,” he said, ading that there are usually no Administration Police officers manning the office as is the case elsewhere.

Interestingly, a mobile disco has been operating next to the burnt building Christmas Day and was expected to do the same tonight.

“We relate well with the local community and that is why we allowed a disco to be set up here for the Christmas and New Year festivities,” he said.

He said the attack came as as shock to him as the office was  was put up by the local people.

“The local people are also putting up residential houses for the Administration Police officers to help beef up security here,” he said.

Drastic measures

Kaloleni District Criminal Investigation Officer Francis Mwicha said they would launch investigations into the incident.

He appealed for calm as police get to the bottom of the incident.

Meanwhile, bus companies at the Coast are taking drastic measures to accommodate stranded passengers flocking to their offices following the ban on night travel.

The Standard learnt yesterday that some bus companies have been forced to reschedule booking dates by more than two days in order to accommodate all the passenger most of whom were earlier booked as night travelers.

Yesterday, Osman Ismail, the proprietor of Spanish Bus, told The Standard that bus owners support the ban in principle but want it applied to long haul trucks.

He said bus owners also want the new regulation relaxed to accommodate travellers from Western and Nyanza regions who may be forced to make stopovers in Nairobi and other towns at extra cost if its strictly enforced.

“This arrangement has really inconvenienced alot of passengers especially those travelling long distances,” he said.