By Alex Maina
When the sun sets in Kipkenyo, peace doesn’t come with it. Instead, fear begins to grow. The roads turn dark and quiet, and most of us lock our doors early. Nights here are full of worry not rest.
Jane Chebet, a mother of three and a small shop owner in the area, described her daily struggle. “I used to close my shop at 9pm,” she said. “Now, by 6:30pm, I’m rushing home. The roads are dark. There are no lights. You never know who is hiding in the shadows.”
She recalled a painful incident that shook the neighbourhood. “My neighbour was attacked right outside her gate. They took her phone, her bag, and even food meant for her children. She cried the whole night. That could have been me.”
The fear is not just for shop owners. Boda boda riders, who work late into the night, are also affected. David Kiprotich, a rider who lives in Kipkenyo, shared his experience. “There are places I can’t pass after 8pm,” he said. “My friend was beaten last week. They stole his motorbike and left him injured by the road.”
Many in the community feel abandoned. They have no street lights and police rarely patrol the area. “We’re on our own,” Jane explained. “We can’t even let children play outside in the evening. You don’t know who or what is waiting in the dark.”
In response, residents have started forming their own night watch groups. “The men take turns walking around the area at night,” said Jane. “they carry torches and sticks. they don’t have training, but they want to protect each other.”
These are not just complaints they are real stories from real people. Every woman walking home, every child trying to sleep, and every young man returning from work is affected. “We love our home,” Jane added, “but we don’t feel safe in it.”
The people of Kipkenyo are not asking for anything special just basic safety. Working street lights. Regular police patrols. A chance to move around without fear. As Jane put it simply, “We just want to stop living in fear every night.”
