Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has issued a warning to Wakali Kwanza criminal gang members in the coastal region following the recent attack of Nyali and Kisauni residents.
The Monday night attack by the machete-wielding gang members left at least 15 injured.
Speaking in Nyeri County during a security meeting, the CS vowed to crush gang groups in the region which he said are being assembled by politicians “in the name of political mobilisation”.
He noted that he will oversee an operation in the affected areas to ensure such illegal groups are dealt with accordingly.
“Under the guise of political mobilisation, we are seeing possible signs of attempts or efforts to revive or recreate criminal gangs. Not just here in the Central part of the country, but the rest of Kenya. What is going on in the Coast region is a feature of that,” said the Interior CS.
Read: Governor Joho Tastes Kenyans’ Wrath After Condemning Bamburi Attack From US
“I want to assure the people of Kenya that we are prepared to deal with that. In fact, I am going to spend a good part of my time next week in Coast region because of these issues,” said Matiang’i, adding: “We are going to apply unprecedented pressure on these groups. We will not play around with the lives of our people.”
On Wednesday night, police gunned down a young man suspected of being a member of the illegal Wakali Kwanza group. Three others escaped unhurt.
The police are also holding three suspects who were arrested on Tuesday in connection with the Bamburi bloody attack.
In his speech, CS Matiang’i also pointed out that the government has received intelligence reports that some Nyeri youths, who crossed over to neighbouring Somalia and other regions, may have made their way back to the region in a bid to organize terror-related activities.
He called on local security apparatus to be on a high alert to ensure tranquillity prevails.
Read Also: Police Gun Down Suspected “Wakali Kwanza” Gang Member Following Bamburi Attack
“There is a feature about this part of the country that I would like to talk about today. A good number of our young people who may have gone to Somalia or other places may have come back and we have suspicions that there are some activities going on in this area that have the likeness of terrorists trying to mobilise.
“We are aware, and we are tracing some places here. I urge the chiefs and assistant chiefs to identify families whose children crossed the northern Kenya border. Upon mapping those families out, they should share that information with us. From the information we have and the evidence that we have, we are tracing some suspicious activities in some parts of rural Kenya or rural towns like Nyeri,” said Matiang’i.
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