NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 25 — Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has directed the Inspector General of Police to intensify efforts to dismantle organized criminal gangs, citing their harmful effects on Kenya’s security, economy, and social stability.
Speaking on Friday, Murkomen expressed concern over the resurgence of gangs in urban and densely populated areas, accusing certain political leaders of exploiting unemployed youth for personal and political gain.
“It is worrying that instead of complementing the government’s efforts to create job opportunities and socio-economic empowerment initiatives for unemployed youth, such leaders are focused on creating mayhem through criminal gangs in pursuit of power,” Murkomen stated.
“They are sowing seeds of discord and disharmony in total disregard of the rule of law.”
Murkomen noted the gangs are responsible for an array of criminalities inclusing robberies, extortion, land grabbing, cybercrimes, and cross-border offenses such as human trafficking and drug smuggling.
He also referred to the notorious legacy of gangs like Mungiki and Sungu Sungu, which evolved from grassroots movements into criminal enterprises that terrorized communities in the 2000s.
“At the height of their reign, these groups left scars of unemployment, imprisonment, and mental health challenges among Kenyan youth,” he said.
Sacking abettors
The Interior CS called for proactive measures to combat gang activities, emphasizing the need for enhanced intelligence gathering, public awareness campaigns, and the prosecution of gang members and their financiers.
“Public servants, including National Government Officials (NGAOs) and police officers, found abetting these crimes will [be] sacked and charged,” he warned.
“No matter the office they hold or their social status, we will prosecute them.”
Murkomen reaffirmed that Kenya’s democracy guarantees fair competition for leadership positions, condemning the use of gangs to influence electoral outcomes.
“It was due to such criminal gangs and incitement from politicians that our country was plunged into post-election violence in 2007-2008,” he noted.
He assured citizens of the government’s commitment to maintaining peace and security, underscoring the urgency of addressing the threat posed by criminal gangs.
Murkomen’s comments come weeks after former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua accused the government of reactivating the outlawed Mungiki sect to suppress dissent in the Mount Kenya region.
Speaking during a church service in Nyeri on January 5, Gachagua alleged that the group, led by Maina Njenga, has been sanctioned to target individuals critical of the government.
Njenga, a former government critic turned ally, pledged allegiance to the administration on New Year’s Eve and dismissed Gachagua’s political influence in the region.
“History is repeating itself. This government, after mismanaging the economy, has realized it has no support in this region, so they have revived this sect, which has in the past killed and maimed people,” Gachagua alleged.
“They came here on New Year’s Eve and declared that they will ensure Ruto and his deputy are supported, and they were guarded by police while making these declarations,” he claimed.
