Murkomen blames politicians for gang violence at the Coast

The state has linked the juvenile gangs terrorising residents of Mombasa and Kwale counties to early 2027 campaigns, drug and alcohol abuse, and poor parenting.

This revelation follows the release of most of the 200 suspects arrested in Mombasa and Kwale by the police after politicians bailed them out.

While outlining the strategy, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) was investigating the politicians behind the proliferation of the gangs.

“Politicians are involved in gangs at the coast, and we have seen different aspirants in Kwale are involved with the Panga boys. Soon they will be prosecuted in court. Also in Lamu, Tana River, Nakuru, Kisii, Kakamega, and Nairobi, some issues of violence are triggered by the political aspirants, but we shall take action,” said Murkomen.

He said most of the suspects aged between 12 and 15 years arrested were bailed out by aspiring political leaders. Last week, police announced the arrest of over 50 suspects.

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“We have arrested 100 youths, and we will arrest more, but we lack sufficient cells to detain them, and courts give them lenient sentences," said the CS.

Murkomen also said that youths involved in gangs are underage children who are supposed to be in school. He said parents will be engaged to assist in monitoring the movement of their children.

“When you analyse the underage in gangs, it means there are profound issues entrenched in families, and we have failed as parents to guide them. We cannot say it is an issue of jobs since they are supposed to be in schools,” said Murkomen. 

The CS also said that although drug abuse was a national problem, the Coast region was the worst affected by the scourge. He said most of the juveniles commit crimes when under the influence of drug abuse.

“The issue of the drug menace is not just an issue of the Coast. In Marsabit and Isiolo, we had a problem. Last month, the smuggling of drugs from Ethiopia was associated with the Ethiopian Liberation Army and Al-Shabaab, but we fought it,” said Murkomen.

The CS, however, denied claims of arms smuggling by other countries through the port of Mombasa.

He said that the port of Mombasa serves the East African region, including South Sudan, and such matters are not a national security issue alone but also touch on regional and international issues.

“No one uses our port to smuggle arms. The consignments are international. We would have noted if the militia were importing or smuggling weapons,” said Murkomen.