Over the past couple of weeks, Kenyans have been treated to posters and news of missing persons like never before.
Cases of missing persons have reached alarming levels such that we need to talk about it.
Eastlands Nairobi
A week doesn’t pass without a missing person’s report filed at a police station in the wider, crime-infested Eastlands part of Nairobi.
Many have argued that the dusk to dawn curfew is in place so that the security forces can manage crime which has been brought about by people falling on hard times emanating from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Social commentators have opined that if there was no curfew, the crime rate would soar since the wasted months of 2020 meant most people fell into poverty and many, especially the youths are looking at way to make ends meet by engaging in crime.
What isn’t clear though are the timelines for going back to normal.
Countries such as New Zealand and Australia among others which have low rates of infections through better management of the Covid-19 pandemic. Recently, Australia’s city of Perth was put into a four day lockdown after recording three coronavirus cases in two days.
Look at that and compare to Kenya where donations to fight Covid-19, KEMSA supplies end up in private hospitals instead of helping common Kenyans.
However, that’s not the point.
Step up as a community
At this point in time, police look overwhelmed to arrest the kidnapping and missing person’s pandemic, and as such people needs to step up.
The community which have been mostly affected by Missing Person’s need to watch out for tale-tale signs of kidnappers.
3 young Somali girls (ages between 15-18) are missing in Mombasa 💔💔💔. Who’s kidnapping our girls? May Allah bring them back safely, Ameen pic.twitter.com/xuL94kFCax
— Madam President 🇵🇸🇸🇩🇨🇩 (@hooyoanisa) June 26, 2021
How?
One needs to take pictures of strange vehicles in their community, take pictures of strange people hovering around children and young girls in your neighborhood.
Report missing person’s as soon as you suspect something is wrong. This needs to be done after confirming from relatives and friends that the suspected missing person is actually missing.
Spread pictures of the missing person, give the most accurate description of the person in the posters and to police.
In the larger scheme of things, lobby the local politician to lobby the govt to create a missing person’s database which should be up to date on cases.
Eastlands Nairobi is not the epicenter of crimes, rather it was just an example I used.
Do not give up, keep appealing and searching. Remember that people want to help. Try to keep your loved one’s name and photo in the public eye. Your missing person is important.
There’ve been reports of missing persons from all over the country.
The recent and most dramatic one was the one that involved Hafsa Mohamed Lukman.
MISSING CHILD ALERT – SAOS – ELDAMA RAVINE. Shanel Staicy Cherop (17 yrs) was last seen on 8 June 2021. Please share alert to help reunite her with family. Thanks. #MISSINGCHILDKE @KenyanTraffic@Ma3Route@DCI_Kenya@DCS_Kenya@ODPP_KE@APSKenya@NPSOfficial_KE pic.twitter.com/vCdbsM89lP
— Missing Child Kenya Foundation (@missingchild_ke) June 25, 2021
