Police in Kisumu have arrested a man believed to be the ringleader of a criminal gang that has for months terrorized traders and residents around Kibuye Market. Acting on actionable intelligence, officers from Kondele Police Station mounted a late-night operation on Saturday, leading to the arrest of Collins Idambo Mbalanya, a 34-year-old Luhya male adult, at the market area approximately 2km southeast of the station.
The suspect, who has been on the police radar, is expected to face multiple charges including assault, creating a disturbance, threatening to kill under Section 223 of the Penal Code, and malicious damage to property under Section 339(1) of the Penal Code, all allegedly committed on various dates in 2025.
A second suspect, Ronaldo Kevin, alias Basenga, aged 28, was also apprehended during the operation. He was found armed with a dangerous Somali sword and failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for his presence at the market. He will be charged with preparation to commit a felony under Section 308(1) of the Penal Code.
Police say the gang, which includes other suspects still at large, has been a major obstacle to the Kisumu County Government’s ability to manage public amenities such as latrines at the market, affecting both maintenance and revenue collection.
An inventory of the recovered weapon was signed by the suspect, and the exhibit is being held at the station’s exhibit store pending its presentation in court.
For security reasons, both suspects have been transferred to the Railway Police Station in Kisumu. They are expected to be arraigned at the Winam Senior Principal Magistrate’s Court on Monday, May 26, 2025, at 8:00 a.m.
Police have confirmed that further operations are underway to apprehend additional suspects still at large.
