BONYO’S BONE: Lawlessness is not a way of life

Twenty years ago, Kenya opened its doors to two of the world's most wanted fugitives—Artur Margaryan and his brother Sargsyan. Their arrival was shrouded in mystery, but within three months, their presence sent shockwaves across the nation. In a brazen attack on the Standard Group PLC, they exposed a deeper and more sinister truth: these criminals had been rewarded with VIP treatment, taxpayer-funded luxury, and even high-ranking positions in the Kenya Police Force as it was then known.

Years later, another outrageous case surfaced. Joshua Waiganjo, a civilian, allegedly infiltrated the police ranks, rising to the level of Assistant Commissioner of Police—a position of immense power, without any legitimate credentials.

Last week, in a plot so absurd it sounds fictional, police officers “stumbled upon” an illegal patrol base in Kesses constituency, Uasin Gishu County. A private citizen—Collins Leitich—had set up his own police patrol base! A civilian, without any official authority, was running a base under the guise of fighting insecurity.

And yet, despite this blatant violation of the law, Leitich walks free, untouched, unbothered, and seemingly untouchable. Just like the Artur brothers. Just like Waiganjo. His connections run deep, and as sure as the sun rises in the East and sets in the West, nothing will happen to him.

His social media footprint alone paints a damning picture—Leitich dines with the high and mighty. He even told journalists, with unmistakable confidence, that he is waiting for an audience with the Inspector General of Police for his station to be regularized and get uniformed officers seconded to it!

What does this say about the state of our security? If a private citizen can set up his own police base, operate it, and only get "discovered" by accident, what does that tell us?

Let’s take it a step further—what if I decided to set up my own rogue police patrol base in Bar Opuk, my village market? What if every Kenyan fed up with insecurity did the same?

Would we still have a country, or would we be reduced to a lawless jungle?

The National Police Service must act.

It must redeem itself from this mess, this blatant, self-inflicted reputational crisis.

Inspector General Douglas Kanja, this is on your desk.

Leitich himself has admitted that he consulted widely with police bosses before setting up his rogue station. So the question is—who in the police command structure authorized this madness?

The people of Uasin Gishu—and Kenyans as a whole—demand accountability. Those implicated must face the full force of the law.

Anarchy is not an option. Lawlessness cannot be normalized.

Kenyans should no longer accept silence when the very institutions meant to uphold order are themselves entangled in chaos.