How ruthless city gangsters strike fear in the slums

A chilling scene unfolded in a crowded street in Mathare 4A on January 20. It was horrific.

A man lay sprawled on the pavement. Blood stained the ground and and his son’s omena and ugali lunch was strewn all over the ground.

The boy wailed uncontrollably after falling from his father’s shoulders.

He watched as a thug stabbed his father mercilessly.

The assailant had been after the victim’s phone and cash. And just like that, the boy was orphaned as his dad, Michael Ombui Oworo, lay dead.

He had become another statistic of the marauding gangs terrorising informal settlements in Nairobi.

The menace of the gangs and the bid to survive by all means, including murder, burst open last week during President William Ruto’s tour of Nairobi.

After he toured Mathare area, the gangs took over Thika Road and terrorised pedestrians and motorists, stealing valuables and vandalising motor vehicles.

Muggings took place with police officers watching.

The events triggered national outrage, forcing the DCI to swing into action. By Friday, the police had arrested eight suspects.

“Police officers have intensified their crackdown to bring to justice additional suspects involved in these criminal acts,” DCI Mohamed Amin said.

However, investigations by the Star indicate that crime in informal settlements is out of control.

Some of the most affected estates are Kariobangi, Korogocho, Kariadudu, Mukuru slums, Kawangware, Kangemi, Huruma, Soweto and parts of Kayole.

In these estates, young, brazen and unrepentant youths, as young as 16 prowl the slums dark alleys.

In their battle to survive the tough economic times, they leave in their wake tears, broken bodies and shattered families.

Officials say several other urban areas, in particular Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu and Eldoret, are facing similar challenges despite efforts to quell crime.

On February 18, for instance, a 35-year-old man was stabbed and seriously injured during a robbery in Kariadudu, Kariobangi.

Police said the victim suffered multiple stab wounds in the back and neck as he fought off the men attacking him.

He lost the fight and fell to the ground, then the gang grabbed his two mobile phones and other valuables. They escaped.

Police established he was attacked by two men armed with weapons and knives.

The injured victim was rushed to Mama Margaret Uhuru Hospital.

On March 2, a man was fatally stabbed in Mukuru slums during a robbery.

The attack took place after the victim resisted orders to surrender and tried to fight back. His body was found in a trench and taken to a mortuary.

Interviews pieced together from residents show at least two violent incidents are reported daily in the slum by gangs out to get cash and valuables.

Those who resist, are stabbed by the gangsters who escape into the sprawling slum.

Police acknowledge that crime is rampant in these informal settlements.

“The police have done nothing to address this problem. We have a problem that needs special attention,” a Mathare resident, who requested anonymity, said.

Some attackers are known to residents and police want their cooperation to effect arrest.

Nairobi regional police commander George Sedah said they have mapped out a number of places facing the menace for major action.

“We have sent teams to the areas to trail and get the gang terrorising residents. We believe we will tame the trend,” he said.

Gangs that used to terrorise pedestrians on Nairobi central business district streets were eliminated by a special squad created with the mandate to end the threat, police said.

This pushed the gangs into the informal settlements where they mostly strike, knowing they will find refuge in their hideouts.

Police say such robbery with violence is prevalent in informal settlements.

They said, however, that those behind the violence are not operating in gangs.

They are individuals who operate in groups of two or three and take risks daily for a living.  “They know they could be killed by a mob or police or be arrested in the act of their crime, so it is a risky venture,” Sedah said.

Some residents said authorities are not doing enough to stamp out the problem.

For instance, a woman whose husband had been killed in a stabbing in 2023 said the assailants are back in Mathare and are threatening her.

The suspects were granted bail, pending determination of their case.

“How do you feel to see the same killers roam here and there and threatening us? It is frustrating,” she said.

The crimes have affected lives in the slums, with some families leaving but others have no option because life is expensive elsewhere.

“We urge the police to continue with their operations to get rid of the gangs. We can’t afford life elsewhere,” Kariobangi resident Jimmy Mwaniki said.

A friend of his was stabbed and injured by a gang and now he is traumatised.

The gangs operate in twos or threes and are usually armed with knives, sharp objects and weapons, ready to strike on their targets.

If they sense danger or any form of resistance, they strike by stabbing to destabilise the victim.

Because of the danger and aggressiveness of the gangs, police advise victims to always cooperate with the attackers for their own safety.

“Don’t resist such attacks because these are people who have nothing to lose and know that given a chance you will harm them. So they will want to harm you first as a precaution, which may turn fatal. Therefore the best thing to do is to cooperate,” said a member of a squad formed to address the menace.

Sedah said they have strategies in place to work for the safety of residents.

He asked them for their cooperation and information on the gangs.

“Some of these people are known in these communities. They will not be able to operate there if locals cooperate and give us the needed information on them,” he said.

Police patrols have increased in many slum areas.

The officers are in both plainclothes and in uniforms.

Lack of streetlights has worsened the situation in these informal settlements.

Police say some of the gangs in these areas usually disconnect the streetlights to avoid detection.

“It will take a long time for Kenya Power or the county government to respond to these areas affected to fix and install the lights. This leaves many in danger,” a community policing member said.

Security expert George Musumali said families need to step in and bring up children who are responsible.

“Such a menace was rampant in New York in the ’80s. It all goes back to the families. We need to mend it at the family level to address such a menace,” he said.

Police say some of the suspects caught in the violence are lynched by mobs in a worrying trend.

“We continue to ask residents to always surrender suspects to authorities for processing and prosecution,” Sedah said.

The residents say some suspects are arrested and released, making it more dangerous for those who come out as witnesses.

Sedah said they are taking all measures to ensure there is safety and justice.