'There are attempts to revive outlawed Mungiki sect,' Mt Kenya Women MPs now claim

A section of women MPs from the Mt. Kenya region have expressed concern over the resurgence of the outlawed Mungiki sect in the region.

Led by Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara, the female legislators in a statement to newsrooms condemned efforts to resurrect the Mungiki sect which terrorised Mt. Kenya residents and Kenyans in general in the early 2000s.

"As mothers, we remember the terror, atrocities and chilling experiences that Mungiki unleashed within Central Kenya, we remember the fear, the terror, we remember the pain," the MPs said in the joint statement.

"During that time Mungiki perpetrated many atrocities against the people including; forced circumcision and raping of women, intimidation and extortion in the public transport, intimidation and extortion of construction businesses, intimidation and imposition of illegal taxes on farmers and households, mindless violence and killings."

The MPs subsequently urged Interior CS Prof. Kithure Kindiki to take decisive action in suppressing any resurgence of the banned Mungiki sect

"No political agenda is worth the kind of pain Mungiki will bring to our people. We know how many were killed in the crackdown of 2003/4 and we cannot sit and watch this happen again," said the MPs.

"We are calling on all Kenyans to join us in loudly condemning these groups and those behind them."

The legislators added that they will rally women from across the country for "a mother of all" demonstrations to drive their message home effectively.

The development comes exactly a week after former Mungiki leader Maina Njenga asserted that the outlawed sect ceased operations after his retirement.

Speaking on Citizen TV’s JKLive Show on Wednesday, November 15, Njenga claimed that the gang is presently non-existent, and that he now leads a peaceful initiative.

“Some 40 years, I used to lead an organization called Mungiki. But, after 20 years, I retired. Mungiki is not there anymore, when you retire you retire with everything,” he said then.

Njenga further refuted allegations that the outlawed sect orchestrated attacks and violence in the Mt. Kenya region and around the country.

He dismissed claims that Mungiki was a nightmare to people in Central Kenya, instead asserting that the sect was only provoked by the police.

The former Mungiki chair further painted a rosy picture of the sect in regards to the recent anti-government protests, arguing that any form of violence which might have been witnessed was a response to police aggravation.