{"id":108598,"date":"2025-01-25T11:03:36","date_gmt":"2025-01-25T11:03:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/01\/25\/murkomen-orders-crackdown-to-tame-gangs-in-urban-areas\/"},"modified":"2025-01-25T11:03:36","modified_gmt":"2025-01-25T11:03:36","slug":"murkomen-orders-crackdown-to-tame-gangs-in-urban-areas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/murkomen-orders-crackdown-to-tame-gangs-in-urban-areas\/","title":{"rendered":"Murkomen orders crackdown to tame gangs in urban areas"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 25<\/strong> \u2014 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\u2019s security, economy, and social stability.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is worrying that instead of complementing the government\u2019s 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,\u201d Murkomen stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are sowing seeds of discord and disharmony in total disregard of the rule of law.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

He also referred to the notorious legacy of gangs like Mungiki<\/em> and Sungu Sungu<\/em>, which evolved from grassroots movements into criminal enterprises that terrorized communities in the 2000s.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the height of their reign, these groups left scars of unemployment, imprisonment, and mental health challenges among Kenyan youth,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Sacking abettors <\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cPublic servants, including National Government Officials (NGAOs) and police officers, found abetting these crimes will [be] sacked and charged,\u201d he warned.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter the office they hold or their social status, we will prosecute them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Murkomen reaffirmed that Kenya\u2019s democracy guarantees fair competition for leadership positions, condemning the use of gangs to influence electoral outcomes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was due to such criminal gangs and incitement from politicians that our country was plunged into post-election violence in 2007-2008,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

He assured citizens of the government\u2019s commitment to maintaining peace and security, underscoring the urgency of addressing the threat posed by criminal gangs.<\/p>\n

Murkomen\u2019s comments come weeks after former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua accused the government of reactivating the outlawed Mungiki<\/em> sect to suppress dissent in the Mount Kenya region.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Njenga, a former government critic turned ally, pledged allegiance to the administration on New Year\u2019s Eve and dismissed Gachagua\u2019s political influence in the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cHistory 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,\u201d Gachagua alleged.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey came here on New Year\u2019s Eve and declared that they will ensure Ruto and his deputy are supported, and they were guarded by police while making these declarations,\u201d he claimed.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 25 \u2014 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\u2019s security, economy, and social stability. Speaking on Friday, Murkomen expressed concern over the resurgence of gangs in urban and densely populated areas, accusing certain […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-108598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108598"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108598\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}