14 Arrested as Police Crack Down on Criminal Gangs

Police have arrested fourteen suspects linked to a stream of criminal activities in Kitale.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) confirmed in a statement on Wednesday, September 3, that the fourteen have been coordinating raids in different sub-areas in Kitale town.

Following a raid in Umoja, Kisumu Ndogo, Tuwani, Bondeni, and Mitume areas, the police recovered crude weapons as they rounded up the suspects.

Among the weapons recovered include knifes of all form, shapes and sizes beleieved to be used to threaten victims before the suspects steal from them.

“The suspects are currently in custody, undergoing profiling and processing, pending arraignment in court as the crackdown continues,” DCI noted.

This comes after the former Nairobi County Governor raised an alarm over the resurgence of criminal gangs in the city’s Central Business District (CBD).

“Cases of thugs using crude weapons like knives, machetes, real and toy guns to steal from unsuspecting members of the public within the CBD have become rampant. Their main target is women,” Sonko stated.

Sonko called onto the National Police to take action, following a viral video of a woman who narrated the horrifying experience with roughly looking men in CBD.

“I had not looked behind me; I was being followed. I informed the Uber driver that some suspicious people were following me and that I needed to pick up dinner before going. The Uber driver told me it has been happening for quite some time,” the lady explained.

Several Kenyans have come out in the past few days with similar experiences in the CBD, which has sent a wave of panic among those who frequent the town in the evening hours.

Following complaints for the county government to respond to the situation, Nairobi County Chief Officer for Environment Geoffrey Mosiria said that gang members disguise themselves as content creators.

“These youths disguise themselves as Gen Z content creators in the CBD, but by around 5:00 p.m., they begin stealing from unsuspecting people. They operate in large groups of 20–30 criminals, surrounding victims and robbing them of all their belongings,” Mosiria explained.

The county official has urged Kenyans to remain vigilant while navigating the streets, warning of street families using human waste to extort money.

“Some even use human waste to extort money or valuables from residents. He stated that improper waste disposal and unsanitary practices harm the environment and create unsafe spaces that criminals exploit,” he stated.