Get rid of criminal elements in EHP

I SUPPORT the letter by “Patriotic Ambo” (The National, April 26) calling on all Eastern Highlanders to make a concerted and collective effort to regain its former reputation as a peace-loving and humble province.
There is a need to get rid of the criminal elements and their illegal activities.
We need to take stock of where we had gone wrong.
I think we must begin by discouraging the sale of our traditional land which is our birth right to outsiders as first step.
Most of the buyers have serious social and ethnic problems which caused them to leave their respective provinces.
One thing we have failed to realise is that by selling our land to them, we are allowing them to bring their problems to EHP.
We need to have proper policies at provincial le­vel in place to monitor and screen their backgrounds before we invite them
into our communities.
We must only allow genuine settlers (employed and students) as we are putting more pressure our limited resources that we have in the province, which are not enough to cater for the rapid population explosion.
Another way is to reintroduce the Vagrancy Act and ensure that the authorities  enforce the regulations vigorously and stringently to discourage expansion of shanty settlements.
It is sad to read about the rapid increase in immoral and anti-social activities in the once peace-loving province.
We must accept the reality and take drastic measures to rectify some of the problems highlighted by my fellow Eastern Highlander at community and provincial levels rather than waiting for miracles to happen.

Kolapaero Ambo
Via email