Why Mungiki resurgence claims should be taken with a pinch of salt

Former Mungiki leader Maina Njenga outside Nakuru law courts on November 21, 2023. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

Claims of Mungiki sect resurgence by some politicians are chilling. Such allegations hide more than they help to expose nefarious schemes of whatever groups alluded to. Couched in pro-people terms, the claim might sound benign.

Criminality in plotting ethno-militancy should be reported to the police for investigations before being discussed at press conferences. With its history of murder, slitting people's throats, and extra-judicial executions, Mungiki remains a mystery and a factor of community polarisation in Central. It raises emotions, but unfortunately, this is precisely what politicians yearn for, and often want to ride on.