Kumba is the administrative capital of Meme Division in the South West region of Cameroon. Also considered as the food basket of the region, Kumba has a nation-wide notoriety for assault, theft and most especially, forgery of documents. This is why Kumba is one of the rare towns in Cameroon that isn’t a regional capital but is hosting the Rapid Intervention Battalion (ESIR). Cameroon Journal’s

Valentine Mulango just back from Kumba accosted Koulbout Aman David, Meme Senior Divisional Officer at his up station office for an exclusive interview in which he takes stock of security issues and development projects in the city. He also identifies his worries for a division he inherited since June 2010. Read on.

First of all, Mr. SDO, how is Kumba fairing three months after co-hosting the Reunification Anniversary on February 20? The division is calm, and the people are happy to have received the Head of State. A lot of them even travelled to Buea to give the President a befitting welcome. As co-host of the jubilee, our division benefited from street lighting – extending into various neighbourhoods, the tarring of the main road from Kumba Mbeng to Kumba Water and other minor projects.

Does Meme Division have key development projects in the pipeline? One of the key projects is the construction of Kumba-Mamfe road, which is about to kick-off. We have received a mission from OIT (company to construct the road). They have expressed the desired to employ some of our youths at least to help them come out of poverty. It is a laudable initiative given that the state cannot employ all those youths. Other important projects include the maintenance of the Loum-Tombel-Kumba road and the Kumba-Mudemba road.

A June 15, 2010 presidential decree appointed you as SDO for Meme and on July 8 same year, you were officially installed by the then South West Governor Koumpa Issa. I still vividly remember Mr. Issa charging you to fight banditry and mob violence. How will you describe the situation four years after? (Laughs)… I think that everything has dropped because when I arrived in Kumba, almost every day, we had a case of assault and burglary. With the measures, we have taken with the forces of law and other, administrative authorities and even the local population, I think we are enjoying some calm in Kumba now. You have been in Kumba since yesterday, and your sleep has not been perturbed. The mob violence has equally dropped. However, one of the main problems we had was with the magistrates and judicial authorities because when we arrest a criminal on the spot, maybe for killing, assaulting or raping somebody, two days after he is freed thanks to some unscrupulous magistrates. Thank God that they (magistrates) have been transferred from Kumba. It is unacceptable to arrest a criminal and two days after, they are out of jail without serving punishment for their offence. To avert strikes, we always meet with different disgruntled parties each time we are hinted of a planned protest. I think with dialogue you can solve many problems than use force.

I was in the 14th district police station in Yaounde one day when police dragged in a suspected criminal who claimed he was 25 years old. But one of the officers seemed to disagree with his age, arguing he was older. Then a fellow officer urged his colleague to stop doubting the young man’s age and then added that if he wishes to cut down his own age, he should visit Kumba. How do comments like this one make you feel? Myself, I was a victim of what they (forgers) do in Kumba when I just arrived. I am talking about fabricating fake documents. I was a victim because the people were caught with documents carrying my forged signature. It wasn’t mine because my signature is very difficult to reproduce, and the culprits are in jail now. The retired police commissioner (for Kumba Central) sent three birth certificates here (at SDO’s office Meme) for us to verify their authenticities. When I sent the files to the Kumba City Council, copies of the certificates were nowhere to be found in their registers. These were documents forged in Fiango, Kossala and so on. But when we have a case of forgery, we show no pity to the forger. I think the rate of document forgery has dropped, but I want to tell you that we continue to remain vigilant.

What is your biggest worry now in the division? My biggest worry is fighting insecurity but with the help of the population, forces of law and order, including administrative and judicial authorities, we are a bit comfortable.

Which is the most daring decision you have ever taken as SDO? (Laughs…hesitantly) the most challenging decision which is for the security of the population, is telling the forces of law and order when you have somebody with a gun, and he wants to shoot at you; you should react very firmly because we cannot joke with our own lives. By doing so we have reduced the rate of criminal activities in our towns. You understand what I am trying to say. I cannot go too far.

You will not stay in Meme division for eternity. What would you want the people here to remember you for? I want them to remember that the collaboration between the SDO and the population was so close that they had their expected results. Without the collaboration between the SDO, DOs, regional delegates, population among others, Kumba wouldn’t have reached this level of development. The rate of criminality wouldn’t have dropped.

Cameroon Journal, Kumba, Apr 21