At least 120 suspects linked to the machete-wielding criminal gang known as “panga boys,” have been arrested in a weeklong operation in Kwale County.
This follows an incident where a gang attacked and robbed locals in Diani.
Police said 63 of the suspects have been taken to court, while police have requested 14 more days to hold 33 others under a miscellaneous application to conduct further investigations.
Another 16 suspects will be arraigned in court on Monday.
Seven machetes, believed to have been used by the suspects in their criminal activities, were recovered during the operation, police said.
Police also seized 18 rolls of bhang and several phones.
New Msambweni Sub-County police commander Robinson Lang’at said that the operation will continue to target and dismantle the gang members.
Lang’at further assured that security will be beefed up during the Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations and advised beach operators to vacate the beaches by 6pm.
“We are here to serve the public and we assure them all is under control for now as we look for the gang behind these incidents,” he said.
He said that more units from the multiagency operatives have been dispatched to continue with the crackdown.
“Investigative interviewing on the suspects who are currently being processed for arraignment has provided leads to more notorious members that are still at large, and thus the crackdown has been intensified with more units being dispatched.”
Last week, prosecutors successfully obtained a 14-day detention order for 33 men accused of being members of a criminal gang, in violation of Section 3A(a) and Section 4(1) of the Prevention of Organized Crime Act, 2010.
The suspects were said to have subjected residents of Diani to various forms of violence.
In an application filed on March 25, 2025, the State, through an affidavit sworn by Chief Inspector Kennedy Mutunga, requested the Kwale Law Courts to detain the suspects for 14 days to facilitate comprehensive investigations.
Resident Magistrate Joy Mtimba granted the request, ordering that the suspects be held at various police stations across Kwale, Diani, and Msambweni.
The case will be mentioned on April 8, 2025 for further directions.
This came as police intensified operations in the area to address the menace.
Coast police boss Ali Nuno has so far held a series of meetings in the area as he sought to restore confidence among locals.
Nuno, in the company of newly posted Kwale county police commander Reginald Omaria and a host of elected leaders from the region, has set in motion a deliberate and purposeful crackdown on young men who have been needlessly attacking and robbing residents of Coastal Towns of Mombasa’s Likoni and Kwale’s Diani areas particularly.
He has embarked on a series of events that combine both stiff enforcement of the law and community engagement where he has began a series of meetings with the elders and youths.
This came as more than 100 young boys surrendered to authorities vowing to abandon what they termed as criminal activities.
County government officials promised to absorb some of those who surrendered to sustain them.
On his side, Nuno blamed poor parenting for the trend in the region.
“Spare the rod and spoil the child. Poor parenting has led to all these issues and we must deal with them before it is too late,” he said.
This came after panga welding youth stormed some shops in Diani looting and injuring residents.
The group had come from a burial event in the area where 29-year-old Juma Said had been stabbed to death before starting to attack unsuspecting locals.
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