Are we going to live through this again? That is the question Mary Waithera wants answered whenever talks of rising tide of armed teen gangs in Eastlands come up.
And while she’s terrified of the harm the gangs are doing to the community, she’s even more worried of how the police will respond.
“Are we going back to the era of hessy wa Dandora, hessy wa Mathare, Kayole and the rest? It’s frightening,” she said.
Waithera lost her first born son to police bullet in Mathare in 2015 after being accused of being a criminal.
"He kept clean and decent dreadlocks and liked putting on boot shoes and chain necklaces. That was enough to be labeled and killed. We are going back there," she says
In 2016, police responded forcefully to emergence of violent youth gangs in Nairobi’s informal settlements—often with deadly consequences.
Communities endured waves of extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances and serious injuries allegedly caused by police brutality.
But sustained advocacy by the media, civil society organisations and criminal justice actors—including senior police officials, the ODPP and IPOA—led to a decline in crime trends. These efforts also improved community-police relations and fostered a degree of harmony in previously volatile areas.
Now, with the resurgence of teen gangs, activists, residents and past victims of police excesses fear a return to a dark and violent chapter.
“We are seeing the same warning signs again,” said Kennedy Otieno, a youth mentor and survivor of a 2018 police shooting in Dandora.
“That year, I was shot in the leg on my way home from work because I had dreadlocks and a backpack. No questions asked. Just gunshots. The gangs are a problem, yes, but unchecked police action is another crisis waiting to happen.”
On Wednesday, the DCI launched a probe into a suspected rise in juvenile gangs operating in Nairobi's Umoja estate and its environs.
According to a statement, the investigation follows a viral social media video showing a group of teenage boys involved in violent clashes. A15-year-old boy Joshua Kubiti, was seriously injured and later died while receiving treatment at Radiant Hospital.
Preliminary findings by the DCI indicate that boys aged between 12 and 19 have formed rival groups with names such as Chinje, Mbogi, Bad Bunny and Silent, which have been linked to violent confrontations, phone snatching and theft in areas including Tena, Innercore, Umoja I, II and III, Kayole, Kariobangi and surrounding neighborhoods.
"In a targeted crackdown led by Buruburu detectives, 14 juveniles—10 male, four female— were arrested and presented before the Makadara Law Courts. Detectives were granted custodial orders to facilitate thorough investigations into the murder of Joshua Kubiti and ensure the perpetrators are held accountable and justice is served," the DCI said.
Many of these gangs document their activities on TikTok, including threats and insults aimed at rival groups. Videos online show teens flaunting weapons and planning attacks.
The DCI said recruitment often spikes during school holidays, putting more young people at risk.
“A sustained crackdown against juvenile gangs and other criminal elements in Nairobi and across the country remains ongoing,” the agency said.
It said it is committed towards upholding law and order.
Yet for some, that promise offers little comfort.
“Police raided our house in 2017 looking for my cousin who had already been killed two days earlier. They beat my father, took our phones and left us terrified,” Fatuma Ali, a resident of Pangani whose family filed a complaint with Ipoa said.
“No one was held accountable. We want safety, but not at the cost of our lives.”
Instant analysis
The resurgence of teen gangs in Nairobi's Eastlands risks reopening old wounds in communities still healing from past police brutality. Without accountability and community-centered policing, efforts to restore order may reignite fear and deepen mistrust.
