Over 100 organised gangs operating in Kenya, Murkomen says in Parliament hearing

Murkomen told MPs that gangs have evolved from loosely organised street groups into “sophisticated and adaptive” criminal enterprises, with security agencies’ current assessment indicating there are over 100 organised gangs across the country, largely concentrated in major urban centres.

He said the groups are entrenched in a wider criminal ecosystem involving drug trafficking, illicit alcohol, extortion, and land disputes.

On land, Murkomen claimed land thieves and grabbers are working with gangs to invade and occupy properties in areas such as Machakos/Mavoko, Kitale, Nakuru, Kakamega and Nairobi, often followed by the hiring of squatters to complicate eviction.

He further alleged that whenever suspects are arrested and taken to court, politicians turn around to claim “youth are being targeted” and move to bail them out.

Murkomen told the committee that the government was investing in surveillance and command infrastructure to boost prevention, identification and response in gang hotspots, particularly in urban areas.

He said plans include installing cameras and ICT equipment in police stations, integrating systems for analytics, and rolling out about 11,000 radio communication gadgets for officers.

Murkomen said seven command centres are planned in Nairobi, Mombasa, Nyeri, Meru, Nakuru, Eldoret and Kisumu, alongside an integrated national command centre, with a phased expansion to other towns.

He also called for a long-term, multi-dimensional strategy, saying enforcement alone would not be sufficient without complementary socio-economic and governance interventions, including tougher laws, asset seizure, economic empowerment initiatives and rehabilitation and reintegration programmes.