Street families have turned into dangerous thugs

Early this year, police carried out a crackdown in the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) to get rid of street families blamed for runaway insecurity.

The operation followed frequent cases of mugging and snatching of car side mirrors. The daring crimes committed by menacing urchins no longer interested in begging from motorists and passersby spread fear among pedestrians and motorists until when police swung into action restoring some semblance of order.

"Some of them are used to transport stolen goods and peddle drugs including bhang," said then Central Sub County Police Commander Adamson Bungei in January when he declared the crackdown, which was sustained for several weeks until the CBD became safe.

But after a brief lull, areas around Kenya National Archives, Globe Cinema Roundabout, Ronald Ngala Street, River Road and Haile Selassie Avenue soon became unsafe once the street families crept back.

And by June, cases of theft targeting pedestrians and motorists raised alarm bells yet again, prompting Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to appeal to victims to assist police by reporting such incidences.

"The DCI urges members of the public who may fall or have fallen victims of mugging within the Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) to make formal reports at the Nairobi Central DCI offices whenever such unfortunate incidences happen," said DCI on its Twitter handle.

Fearless thugs

Despite DCI promising to heighten surveillance, the attacks never ceased with the latest victim being a police officer outside Teleposta Towers on Tuesday. The officer's phone, which was snatched from him, was immediately recovered and the thief arrested.

The incident came barely a week after a middle-aged motorist lost his vehicle's headlights along Kenyatta Avenue near the same spot.

Mureithi*, the victim, was stuck in a traffic jam on a Monday afternoon when heard a knock on his white four-wheel drive car.

Within the blink of an eye, he watched in disbelief from the side mirror as a stranger disappeared with his rear lights. The thief, however, did not go far - he was stopped by boda boda operators around I&M Building after Mureithi raised the alarm.

With a mob baying for his blood, the man identified as Njenga Maina, pleaded for mercy claiming he was homeless and living on the streets where he survives by hook or by crook.

The 36-year-old disclosed that a mechanic on Kirinyaga Road sent him to unplug rear lights from a Toyota TX Land Cruiser, adding that he had not eaten anything and had been forced to get the lights so that he could afford food.

"Tukichukua tunapeleka Kirinyaga Road, tunapewa kuanzia shilingi mia tano hadi elfu moja ndio tupate chakula (When she steal the spare parts, we take them to Kirinyaga Road for between Sh500 and Sh1000 for buying food)," Njenga said while begging the surging crowds not to kill him.

The dark-haired motorist could not believe what he was hearing from Njenga but got more curious to listen to him to understand why someone would sell very expensive vehicle spare parts at a throwaway price.

"It's incredible how the man is confident enough to grab my lights in the CBD, and yet the police are a short distance away. The most interesting thing is how a street man manages to hit the rear lights and run away with them so easily," Mureithi told the crowd.

What he never understood is that the mechanics who sent the urchins to rob or steal spare parts from vehicles also train them on how fast they can remove the targeted car accessories.

Danger spots

Police say the street families are conspirators of organised criminal syndicates that are giving them headaches in the CBD citing Moi Avenue, Uhuru Highway, Haile Selassie Avenue and the area around Nairobi Railway Station as some of the danger spots at the moment.

"It is true the street families are a source of insecurity and we are trying our best to get them out of town. The challenge is that whenever we remove them, they come back in droves but we are not relenting on the crackdown. We detain some, take others to school or back to their homes," said a senior officer who did not wish to be identified.

Tabitha Wairimu, a social worker, says criminal elements are capitalising on the vulnerability of street children to carry out illegal activities.

"These are disillusioned people who have nothing to lose. They can commit crimes without considering the consequences," Wiarimu told The Nairobian.

Njenga revealed he was not alone in the syndicate that has many members who not only steal motor vehicle spare parts but laptops and mobile phones as well.

"Sitarudia uhalifu, ni chakula nilikuwa natafuta, nitafanya kazi kwa bidii (I will not repeat the crime. I was just looking for food...I will now look for something decent to do)," he pleaded.