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Karagita estate: A hotbed of crime in Naivasha
The sprawling Karagita estate on the outskirts of Naivasha town continues to gain notoriety for weird happenings, having also been the epicentre of post-election violence in 2007.
The recent killing of a flower farmworker, whose dismembered body was found buried in a shallow grave, epitomises chilling murders that have rocked the estate.
Simply put, it’s a hotbed of poverty and crime. An aerial view captures shanties in the densely populated area that is home to thousands of farm workers.
The infamous estate derives its name from a tractor that was owned by a white settler, who abandoned it in an open field after it broke down in the early ‘70s.
The creepiness borders on absurdity. Sample this — a young man was on Sunday rescued from a mob baying for his blood after he was caught committing an unnatural act with a duck.
A few months ago, another man was caught engaging in an unnatural act with a dog. Mr Samuel Mwangi, a witness, detailed the creepy act in a humorous manner, earning the nickname “Pekejeng”.
Dubious recognition
Having lived in the informal settlement since 1969, Mr Mwangi has seen it all.
“The incidents are strange. At times incomprehensible,” he offers. He recollects perverted acts that continue to earn the estate dubious recognition.
“I witnessed the two disturbing acts. We live in a set-up that is devoid of moral values,” he says.
He lists bizarre murders, including that of a woman who was killed by her husband last year.
She was strangled with a wire inside their rented house after the two differed on a joint business venture.
“Her body was stuffed in a gunny bag and dumped in Malewa River,” says Mr Mwangi.
Residents stumbled on the body and alerted police. When residents got a wind of the act three days later, they lynched the man in broad daylight. Mr Mwangi also recalls a mugging incident that happened two years ago involving a well-known youth leader.
“He used to waylay women heading to work in the wee hours and rob them while wielding a knife,” he says.
Domestic row
After his cover was blown, locals were sympathetic and opted to spare his life.
“To deter him from the misdemeanour, they gorged out his eyes. However, his accomplice was killed,” he offers.
Last December, a father of five attempted to burn his house following a domestic row but his wife and children escaped.
The man, who was a driver, torched himself and died three days later in hospital. Efforts to reconcile with his estranged wife had hit a dead end.
In October 2016, fears of cultism reached fever pitch following the defilement and macabre killing of two young girls. The two, aged three, went missing on separate dates before their bodies were found at a dumpsite.
The first minor was enticed from their homestead by a stranger. A week later, a second child was lured by a 13-year-old teenager, who promised to buy her mandazi.
In August the same year, a man went missing only for his body to be found without private parts and ears. Ms Susan Wangari, a volunteer community worker, says rape cases are on the rise.
“Drug use among the youths is common,” she states.
But Naivasha Deputy County Commissioner Mbogo Mathioya describes some of the incidents as “sporadic”, assuring that officers are well equipped to deal with crime in the area.
On the recent murder, homicide detectives are handling the case.
-Nation.co.ke
