The Mungiki Gang in Kenya I learned is considered to be one of the most dangerous gangs in the world. This group runs extortion rackets and it is known for it’s gruesome punishments. The gang has no tolerance for dissent from members and will kill the disobeying member right on the spot. The Mungiki reportedly traces it’s roots back to a religious movement but it appears to be very far from that today.
The retreat of the state aspect when it comes to this gang is evident in a recent attack on the Luo ethnic groups in the rift valley towns of Naivasha and Nakuru. These attacks reportedly left about one thousand people dead in what is being tried in court as “government sponsored mayhem.” The attack was claimed to have been orchestrated and carried out by Uhuru Kenyatta, who just so happens to be one of Kenya’s most prominent figures and the son of the country’s first ever president. The fact that this attack is even being remotely considered as government supported is a disturbing idea. While I continued research of the Mungiki I learned that the police have reportedly allowed members of the gang free movement between other member’s houses. This just goes to show how little control the state has over these members. They seem to know where these gangsters live and who they associate with yet they do very little to deter them from committing their heinous crimes.
To the government/state’s credit, there seems to be some progress made in regards to the Mungiki. In crackdowns over the last five months, police have taken out around five hundred members of the gang, reportedly. While this makes me think that the government might be trying to stop this gang’s illegal doings, there has been little other evidence to make me believe that, at least from what I researched.
cosmopm19 