Towards understanding organised gangs

By FRANCIS NGIGE

Mungiki is a sect that has gone through a metamorphosis from a tobacco sniffing gang donning dreadlocks as its trademark and praying while facing Mount Kenya to an organised killer gang.

At one time the sect was driven by its leadership to the mosque, before they recently claimed to have joined the church after its leader Maina Njenga declared he was saved and shepherded his flock to join Jesus is Alive Ministries.

Experts have attributed the emergence of the organised crimes to social disorders. In a past interview, leading psychiatrist Dr Frank Njenga said the Mungiki problem is more of a social problem rather than a medical condition. Njenga said the youths carrying out killings were highly unlikely to be suffering from any medical condition.

"The Mungiki menace that has been with Kenyans is not a medical problem that can be tackled, it is clearly a social problem from whatever has been gathered," said Njenga.

Prof Samson Munywoki, a sociology expert, concurred with Dr Njenga that the Mungiki menace was a social problem that if not addressed may lead the country into turmoil. Munywoki, a lecturer at United States International University (USIU), described the people involved in the illegal group’s activities as "a group of frustrated youths with feelings of helplessness." And a counselling psychologist Jane Ngatia said the Mungiki activities are as a result of psychological disorders among the youths involved.

PSYCHOLOGICAL SATISFACTION

She said people suffering from the psychological disorders feel satisfied when they carry out something that is not ordinary.

"They carry out bizarre things to get extra-ordinary pleasures that are either due to their social backgrounds or drugs-induced," said Ngatia.

The best way to deal with the organised group, Ngatia suggested, is for the Government to change its approach towards the problem by engaging the youth in dialogue.

"Much as what they are doing is criminal, it incumbent upon the Government to engage the services of counselling psychologists to get to the root cause of the problem," said Ngatia.