The dreaded Mungiki and Gaza criminal gangs are re-grouping in Kiambu, the county police boss has warned.
Police commander Ali Nunow said reports have been made in police stations within the county about the outlawed gangs creeping back.
Addressing journalists after a security meeting with officers at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nunow said the gangs have started perpetrating ruthless crimes including extorting residents and traders.
“We are aware that the outlawed sects are back but we are very ready to trample them. We will not allow them to conduct their illegal activities and cause lawlessness in Kiambu,” Nunow said.
He said the gangs are a threat to development as they will scare away investors.
The police commander raised concern over high cases of illegal possession of firearms in the county, saying they are responsible for increased robberies and other crimes.
Gun-totting thugs hide in slums like Kiandutu in Thika, giving security officers a headache.
“We are giving them one week to surrender the firearms. If they do so we will receive the weapons with a good heart and amnesty will be extended to them. But if they fail to, they will face the music because we will leave no stone unturned until we smoke them of out their hiding dens,” he said.
Nunow noted that the county’s security heads have zoned the region into three parts in order to pool resources together to effectively combat crime and maintain law and order.
Ruiru, Juja, Gatundu South, Thika and Gatundu North have been placed in zone one since the major crimes occuring in the subcounties are similar.
Common crimes in these areas include carjacking due to proximity to the Thika superhighway, theft from public service vehicles, alcohol and drugs peddling, Ruiru subcounty police commander James Ng’etich said.
