Mombasa: Police arrest 3 suspected Panga Boys gang members

The suspects in police cuffs

Three members of a machete-wielding gang accused of terrorising residents within Mombasa’s Kiembeni and Kadzandani areas have been arrested.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) boss Mohamed Amin said in a statement on Thursday the trio, all suspected to be members of an infamous gang dubbed ‘Mombasa Panga Boys’, was rounded up during a security sting conducted by detectives from the DCI headquarters in Nairobi.

He said the gang is known to operate with impunity while armed with crude weapons, including daggers and machetes.

They stage robberies at business premises and muggings on lone pedestrians, Amin said.

“In a bid to phase out the gang and put its members where they belong, Coast region detectives joined the headquarters squad in the day-long intelligence-led operation, culminating in the arrest,” the top sleuth said.

The suspects, all male, are aged 24, 26 and 34 years old respectively.

Amin said two of the suspects were apprehended at Mwatamba 2 stage in Kiembeni, while the oldest of them was arrested within Kadzandani while in possession of a knife and two face masks.

Also found on them were four mobile phones, a woolen hood, a small college bag, SIM card holder and a wallet.

“They are being interrogated ahead of their arraignment even as the operation continues,” Amin said.

Mombasa residents have been living in fear of attacks from members of the dreaded Panga Boys who have been wreaking havoc in the coastal city for a while now.

In April 2024, police arrested a leader of the gang within the Kibokoni area by officers from Mombasa Central Police who were acting on intelligence.

The suspect was found with a panga stashed in his trousers as he watched a football game. His arrested came months after he was caught on camera together with his brother terrorising residents of Kibokoni.

Another gang leader was arrested in November 2024 while hiding in the Mathare area of Timbwani ward.

The 27-year-old had been on the police wanted list. He was arrested by undercover officers from Likoni police station during a routine patrol.