Police boss denies presence of Mungiki gangs in Mathare, Dandora and Lucky Summer estates

Nairobi police boss Japheth Koome addresses the media in Nairobi on August , 14, 2017, PHOTO BY JOHN MUCHUCHA

The police have termed allegations that Mungiki gangs attacked residents of Dandora and Mathare areas of Nairobi, false and dangerous.

Some individuals had raised an alarm on Sunday night after text messages, pictures and online live posts indicated that the outlawed Mungiki members were attacking residents in certain parts of the city.

Nairobi County Police Commander Japheth Koome urged Kenyans to ignore the claims, saying that such allegations could cause panic and incite Kenyans.

Koome said the only people on patrol at night are police officers and that several people have been arrested and others are being sought for spreading ‘fake news’.

“The only people who were on patrol at night were the police and since we have heightened security in all estates in the city, we had very few incidents of crime,” Koome said.

The police commander said they were searching for a banker who is suspected to have circulated videos alleging presence of armed Mungiki members in police uniforms.

In a post on Facebook, the banker had said that members of the outlawed sect were raiding homes, raping women and killing people.

Standard reporters received a few distress calls from residents of the areas but when we contacted the police, they confirmed their presence on ground and said they had not witnessed any attacks.

Koome said the police had also received calls from people living in other parts of the country who were reporting that Nairobi’s Mathare and Lucky Summer estates were under attack, contrary to what the officers on the ground had said.

At the same time, the police commander said the Kenya military have not been deployed to assist in dealing with protesters.

He said the police were in full control of the situation with reinforcement from the National Youth Service, Kenya Forest Service and the prisons service.

“The officers are well equipped, and trained to handle the situation,” he said.