This archive report was first published on 15 July 2019.
On July 15, 2019, Boniface Kimanyano Ayoti, a 33-year-old reformed hardcore criminal, shared his story of terrorizing South B and South C residents.
Ayoti, born in Nairobi and raised in Mukuru slums, has a past he would rather forget. He spent time in Kamiti Prison, where he met a gang from Kayole and formed a new gang plan after release.
According to Ayoti, his journey into crime began in lower primary school, where he stole pens and books from fellow students. He dropped out of school in Class Eight after assaulting a girl, aged 16 at the time.
Ayoti claims his guardians were summoned, and he moved out to live on the streets, where he got introduced to drugs, nicknamed 'blue Mercedes.' The drugs boosted his courage during robbing missions.
He recalls snatching a handbag from a businesswoman, being caught and beaten by taxi drivers, and trying to rob a businessman who slashed him in the stomach and exposed his intestines.
After being released from prison, Ayoti claims another accomplice introduced him to a new 'business': drugging unsuspecting women and cutting off their breasts. He was paid Sh30,000 for the first breast and Sh120,000 for the second.
Ayoti claims he always felt guilty despite the money, and his story serves as a cautionary tale of the dangers of a life of crime.
