This archive report was first published on 27 September 2019.
Published on September 27, 2019, a day that will be remembered for the shocking crimes committed by the Mungiki gang in President Uhuru Kenyatta's own backyard.
Gatundu town, a serene and safe environment with a good road network and cool air from nearby farms, is not as peaceful as it seems. The area is home to the ancestral rural home of the founding President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta in Ichaweri, Gatundu South.
However, the presence of the Mungiki gang has turned this peaceful environment into a nightmare. The gang, armed with guns and crude weapons, has been terrorizing residents, killing, raping women, and defiling young girls with reckless abandon.
They also levy taxes on traders, extort, and steal without any shame. The gang's activities have been well known to the police, but they always bribe their way out.
President Kenyatta, irked by the shocking crimes, dispatched Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i and Inspector-General of Police Hillary Mutyambai to Gatundu to clamp down on the thugs.
Dr. Matiang'i ordered the transfer of security chiefs in Kiambu County with immediate effect, citing an upsurge in crime in the area. He also vowed to employ the same tactics used by former Security Minister John Michuki to curb insecurity.
