On April 11, 2008, Virginia Nyakio, the wife of then Mungiki leader Maina Njenga, was found dead in Gakoe Forest in Gatundu, alongside her driver, Ndungu wa Wagacha.
This tragic event sparked nationwide demonstrations by a faction of the Mungiki group, leading to widespread disruption of transport services as they protested the killings of Nyakio and her driver, who was linked to their founding chairman.
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During the protests, at least 30 vehicles were set ablaze in Nairobi, particularly in Embakasi, where both public service vehicles and private cars were targeted.
At the time of Nyakio’s death, the Kenyan government was already grappling with challenges posed by the Mungiki sect, a group that had become influential in urban informal settlements.
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The Mungiki were involved in activities such as public transport control, provision of basic services, and extorting protection money from businesses.
Virginia Nyakio Found Murdered
In response to the growing threat from the Mungiki sect, the government had launched a crackdown on the group, which had been a significant challenge for President Kibaki’s administration.
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At the time of Nyakio’s murder, Maina Njenga was incarcerated at Naivasha Maximum Security Prison, serving a five-year sentence for illegal possession of firearms and ammunition, a conviction he received in 2007.
Years later, a former police officer named Bernard Kiriinya, who was then part of the Special Crime Investigations Unit within the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), provided details about the circumstances surrounding Nyakio’s death. Kiriinya revealed that when the Mungiki group caught the government’s attention, an undercover police unit known as the Kwekwe Squad was formed to eliminate members of the gang.
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Kiriinya confessed that he was a driver for a special police unit and had witnessed several killings carried out by its officers, including the incident involving Maina Njenga’s wife.
He recounted that Nyakio and her driver, Ndungu, were abducted near the Madaraka Estate roundabout on Lang’ata Road in Nairobi. At the time of the abduction, they were driving a RAV4, when a police hit squad—comprising three vehicles—intercepted them.
Whistleblower about Police Killings Shot Dead
Their primary target was initially Ndungu, a well-known member of the Mungiki sect. However, Nyakio was reportedly carrying Ksh5 million meant for paying workers, which tempted the officers to also want the money.
To eliminate witnesses, they decided to kill her as well. The two were taken to Ngong Forest, where they were subjected to brutal torture, including being burned with cigarette ends and having their toenails pulled out. Nyakio’s head was slashed, and a bottle was inserted into her private parts, although she was not raped. Ndungu was beaten to death with clubs.
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Later, the officers who committed the act drove all the way to Gatundu, where they dumped the bodies.
Unfortunately, Bernard Kiriinya was tragically killed after confessing to police involvement in extrajudicial killings. Less than four months after going into hiding, he was traced and shot dead on October 16, 2008. He was shot in Westlands, Nairobi, near the Sarit Centre.
Years later, despite the deaths of Virginia Nyakio, Bernard Kiriinya, and Ndungu wa Wagacha, no one has ever been prosecuted.
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