Kenya: Security arrests 5,000 in gang crackdown

(SomaliNet) In a crackdown on Mungiki and other terror gangs, five thousand people have been arrested.

Internal Security assistant minister Peter Munya told the House that those seized include 1,000 people linked to Mungiki, MPs will today interrogate the Government on the operations of Mungiki and how the gang is linked to some of their colleagues.

On Tuesday, they were time barred in seeking clarifications from Mr Munya, who gave a statement on the origin and operations of Mungiki and the steps the Government was taking to contain the terror gang.

Speaker Francis ole Kaparo cut short Mr Munya as he was reading the ministerial statement and ordered him to continue this morning.

\"We need to move to the next order. The honourable assistant minister will conclude the reading tomorrow (today) and members will be given chance to seek clarifications,\" he said.

\"The Government will use all means at its disposal to stamp out all criminal gangs. It will not negotiate with Mungiki, Baghdad, carjackers or any other criminals,\" said Mr Munya.

The statement was requested last week by Kajiado Central MP Joseph Nkaissery (Kanu), who wanted the ministry to explain the origin, operations, leadership and the steps it was taking to contain the Mungiki menace.

Mr Nkaissery made the request in the backdrop of bizarre killings in Nairobi and its environs, parts of central Kenya and Rift Valley, linked to Mungiki.

Mr Munya in his statement traced the origin of Mungiki to Ng\'arua in Laikipia. The sect, he said, was formed by unemployed Kikuyu youths who wanted to revert to their cultural and traditional spiritual life.

However, the sect had evolved beyond the social and economic reasons and transformed itself into a criminal gang dangerous to Kenyans.

\"Over time, it has mutated into a criminal gang out to earn a living without sweat. It is now intimidating Kenyans to succumb to extortion failure to which they are tortured, injured and sometimes killed in a bizarre way,\" he said.

He said poverty was not an excuse because even though more than 50 per cent of Kenyans live below the poverty line, they had not resorted to mass killings.

He said the sect was outlawed in March 2005 and four of its leaders, among them Mr John Njenga Maina and Ibrahim Ndura Waruinge, arrested.-The Nation