Illegal criminal gangs rise to 109 as gov’t cracks down on goonism

A report by the Ministry of Interior shows that the number of such groups has risen from 89 to 109 across the country, with Western leading with 38 groups, followed by Rift Valley and Nairobi.

The government said it would do everything possible to deal with the groups.

Frequent cases of unrest and raids by dangerous gangs have been linked to the rapid growth of criminal groups, with the government saying its investigations have established that the situation is getting worse by the day.

The Interior Ministry report raises concerns over the spread of the gangs across different parts of the country.

Western leads with 38 criminal groups, followed by Rift Valley with 22 and Nairobi with 20.

Nyanza and Coast follow with 12 and 11 groups respectively, while Eastern has three, North Eastern two and Central closes the list with one group.

The report shows that 1,827 suspects linked to the groups, including goons, have been arrested this year, with Trans Nzoia County recording the highest number at 491.

A total of 729 suspects have been convicted, while 716 cases are still before the courts.

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki vowed that the government would not rest until it deals with the dangerous groups.

"Just as the elders have brought together Mount Kenya, we will join hands with elders to calm other parts of Kenya, elders from Nyanza, Western, so that we can move away from politics of tribalism, people can look for their votes and peace," Kindiki said.

Calling for the complete elimination of dangerous gangs in the Mount Kenya region, Kindiki said that as the spokesperson of Mount Kenya, he will ensure security is maintained in the region and prevent the political use of youth and criminal gangs.