About 351 murder cases were reported in Meru County between 2015 and early 2016. This is the highest number of murder cases reported in any county in Kenya within that period according to a government survey dubbed The Kenya Economic Survey 2016.
During the period under review there were 1423 murder cases reported across the country and most of them were reported in Meru county. Although the report does not reveal the probable causes, crime rates in Meru have been on the rise over the past 5 years on the backdrop of robust economic growth.
On general crime levels, Meru had the third highest number of reported crime incidents after Kiambu and Nakuru counties respectively. Both Kiambu and Nakuru have been reported by economic surveyors as the fastest growing counties. The relationship between economic growth and crime levels has not been formally postulated in similar government sponsored surveys.
In 2015, several murder incidents of high profile residents in Meru county shocked many. A couple of doctors were killed in a queer fashion. But aside from the murders of prominent people several cases of night guards were also reported.
Meru County is also the second county among counties with the highest number of female offenders. Nyeri county is the county leading in female related crime incidents.
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