Return of dreaded gang raises fear in Kenya

Kisumu,Kenya: Fear has gripped residents following the re-emergence of a dreaded gang even as police promise to take action.

The gang, christened China, was thought to have faded away a few years ago after confrontations with rivals called the American Marines.

But the gang seems to have made a surprise return, perpetrating a number of criminal activities.

Last week, people believed to be members of the China squad stripped naked, tortured and whipped more than 10 youths suspected to have been breaking into shops within Kisumu town.

One of the youth, Paul Owino, alleged to have been tortured by the gang, recorded a statement with the police yesterday in which he stated how he was beaten.

"I was walking near Co-operative Bank when some people confronted me accusing me of being a thief and later ordered me to remove my clothes," said Mr Owino.

Nyanza regional police commandant, Willy Lugusa, told The Standard that police had received reports about the gang's activities and would act to stem its activities.

Mr Lugusa, however, asked for patience saying it would take time to map out and understand how the gang operates before it is subdued.

"It requires time for the police to study the patterns of the terror gangs in Kisumu," he said, adding that the police would use the information it has so far gathered to track down the gang.

The incident has alarmed residents who now fear that Kisumu may slip back into a state of lawlessness.

Kisumu Residents Voice Association Chairman Audi Ogada said it was sad that a gang well known is terrorising residents as the police watch.

Mr Ogada said members of the gang were now boasting that they had pocketed the police and nothing would happen to them, and in the process instilling fear in residents.

This, he added, had made those who have critical information fearful.

"We are giving the police seven days to apprehend those who were involved in the stripping and torturing of the youth, failure to which we will take action as residents," said Ogada.

However, Lugusa said the police had plans to deal with the gang members.

"I am warning not only China but any other gang including American Marine that time is not on their side. We do not mind what the public says, as long as our actions are in the interest of the residents," he said.

He asked anyone with information regarding the incident where the youth were stripped to volunteer it to help in intelligence.

The beating of the youths also attracted the attention of the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), which condemned it.

The commission's officials said the acts of lawlessness were rampant in the county because police were reluctant to intervene.

Saying that he had dealt with criminal gangs such as Mungiki before, Lugusa said the difference between China and Mungiki was that the former is ambiguous while the latter had a clear pattern of how they do their activities.