Gang violence refers to the illegal and non political acts of violence perpetrated by gangs against civilians or other gangs.
Who are in these gangs?
These are young boys and girls aged as young as 13 to 26 living within Nakuru city and are described as "young and dangerous" by residents. They are vicious and most at times act under the influence of strong hallucinatory drugs. The gangs recruit teenagers, mostly school dropouts and sometimes teenage students.
Idle, unemployed youth and school dropouts in slums are blamed for the existence of the criminal gangs, which police in Nakuru have been trying to subdue. Security authorities in Nakuru have for years been grappling with some of the gangs, including Confirm, which was among 90 listed by the former Interior Cabinet secretary, the late Joseph Nkaissery, in December 2016 as outlawed groups. Nearly four years later, Confirm, which is said to enjoy protection, continues to indulge in its criminal activities.
The gangs operating in Nakuru City include Confirm, Eastlando, Msafi Kwanza and Gaza. Confirm, for instance, has tentacles in various slums, including Kivumbini, Lake View, Kwa Rhoda, Kaptembwa, Flamingo, Kaloleni and Bondeni. The Gaza group operates in Pipeline, parts of Lanet and even in Nakuru town. Five Fingers operates near Rhonda maternity, Gaza also operates in Jasho while Mauki gang has set base in the Mkarafu grounds. These gangs have clustered themselves in different groups and operate in different areas, with each group having a ring leader. They have aligned themselves to zones. Each group operates in its zone. But they sometimes clash with each other and lives are lost in the fights,
Other informal settlements acting as safe havens for the gangs include Pondamali, Weavers, Jasho, and Gikomba, all in Rhonda. These gangs are committing crimes even in broad daylight. During the day, they hang around the estates smoking bhang, chewing muguka or drinking alcohol. They have built temporary structures where it is believed they conduct their meetings.
Reliable sources indicate that the gang members are armed with crude weapons, including pangas, metal rods, machetes, swords and even guns. In the streets of Nakuru, the criminals snatch handbags and phones from visitors in broad daylight. They have invaded Nakuru's central business district and key streets including Kenyatta Avenue. Gang members often waylay their victims and rob them of their valuables before disappearing into their hideouts or melting into the crowds. The gangs have no second thought about hacking or shooting a person they think stands in their way of getting what they want and are responsible for robberies and muggings in specific marked territories within the city.
Teenagers are introduced to gangs by peers at school who always have money and drop out of school to earn money, because majority of parents are struggling to pay school fees, pay rent and to put food on the table. Most of the children are from informal settlements in Nakuru town.
The Confirm gang is also said to have a network of fraudsters on the loose who use mobile money technology to swindle Kenyans out of their hard-earned cash in Nakuru and other towns. They buy, register and use SIM cards using identification cards stolen from victims. They then block the SIM cards once the illegal transactions are completed, to avoid being tracked by the police. The gang also fraudulently accesses bank accounts.
When darkness sets in, some of the informal settlements are no-go zones. But gang members still operate during the day and have devised ways of escaping police dragnets. Police presence in the areas does not deter the criminals. Residents link the daring gang to two Nakuru politicians, said to have been financing and supporting its activities. the two politicians protect the gang and even when they are arrested they bail the youth out. One of the politicians is the criminals' "godfather".
Members of the criminal gang continue unleashing terror against residents despite police crackdowns.
The gang operates with impunity and obtains money fraudulently through mobile money transfer services, bank accounts, muggings and robberies. Previously, residents complained about insecurity, saying most informal settlement areas had turned into hideouts for criminal gangs. The criminal gangs prefer low-income settlement areas. They operate in places where police penetration is low.
In the past, hundreds of gang members have been arrested but they are bailed out after being arraigned.
Police have also in the past shot dead some members of the gangs.
Art4Rights, a not for profit organization is stimulating change through civic engagement and the action of artistic expression. Art4Rights is interested in the advancement and safeguarding of human rights in Kenya primarily because of the intersectionality of human rights and sustainable development, and good governance. Art4Rights firmly believe that respect for human rights and the application of a human rights-based approach in development lays a foundation for the realisation of peace, safety, and security. They have done a series of documentaries on gang violence in Nakuru ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_883liIDk8&t=51s) and Victims of gang violence (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKZR-vPdi14&t=154s)
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