Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki has admitted existence of criminal gangs that he says have been on the radar of security agencies.
Kindiki while addressing the circumstances under which police officers killed peaceful protesters said that the protests were infiltrated by organized, mobilized and financed criminal gangs prompting the police to respond in the manner in which they did.
About 40 people have been confirmed dead from the deadly protests.
Interior CS Kindiki taunting admission of existing criminals precedes recent turn of events where peaceful protests turned chaotic with looting and destruction of property. In particular Kindiki indicates that security agencies are trailing known financiers, planners and mobilizers of criminal gangs that infiltrated Gen Z led peaceful protests.
“The gangs that infiltrated the protests have been regrouping pre-protest and form a wider cell of criminal gangs utilized by political operatives” said Kindiki.
While addressing the criminal elements, he cited Emali-Makindu-Kibwezi along the major Nairobi-Mombasa Road as a hotbed of one of the criminal gangs that often terrorizes residents and commuters using the busy road and took advantage of the Protests.
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According to the Ministry of interior, the gangs are divided into two cells. Intelligence reports shared to government categorizes them into Political operative gangs and existing criminal gangs. For the case of Emali-Makindu-Kibwezi, the state says the gangs operate under low level political activists that have affiliation within either the Government or opposition.
In the two weeks’ protests that saw Kenya’s youngest generation lead a youthful, spirited revolt against the unpopular finance bill 2024, several cities came to a standstill.
Among the areas where protests took a center stage included Nairobi, Nakuru, Eldoret, Kisumu, Mombasa and Homa bay among many other areas.
While the police have been accused of excesses in handling protesters and the June 25 shooting outside parliament, the ministry of interior argues that the criminal elements that infiltrated the demos prompted use of fire.
Also Read: Kindiki Issues Directives to Protesters Hours Before Countywide Demos
Observers have accused police of opening live ammunition on peaceful and unarmed protesters.
The state maintains that investigations are ongoing as Gen Z-led protests take a slow retreat at the backdrop of an historic occupation of the parliament buildings on Tuesday June 25, 2024.
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