Gangs targeting women on the prowl in Central Kenya

Residents of some parts of Central Kenya are living in mortal fear of vicious criminal gangs that are mainly targeting widows, single mothers and elderly women for rape and robbery.

They have now asked security agencies to take action and stop the gangs that comprise mainly young men.

In Maragua, Murang’a County, Ms Jacinta Mugure has fallen victim to one such attack.

She says she found six male youths selling bhang outside her home in Mathare Estate.

Ms Mugure asked the young men why they were transforming her gate into a contraband market.

The youths, she told the Nation, responded with a torrent of verbal abuses and threats.  

“The average age of these boys was at most 20 years while I am 52. These were my sons uttering such words to me!” she adds.

The matter was reported at Maragua Police Station, where an officer on duty asked Ms Mugure to bring along witnesses.

She tried to convince three of her neighbours who had witnessed her humiliation to accompany her to the station, but none was willing to risk their lives and testify against the youths.

Similar encounter

Ms Naomi Mwangi from Gatanga sub-county had a similar encounter.

Ms Mwangi was going to the shops at around 8am when she bumped into a group of youths that went on to forcibly sell her bhang.

“The youths noticed I was holding a Sh500 note in my hand. Then one of them blocked my way. He told me they are poor because those of us who have money have refused to help them and so I should give him the Sh500 and in exchange, I’d get 10 rolls of bhang,” she claims.

Upon hesitating, she was slapped hard on her left cheek.

“I gave them the money and left,” Ms Mwangi says.

In Kiambu, a widows’ lobby is working with administrators to report such cases.

“We are working with area administrators, especially assistant chiefs, who sometimes visit the gangs’ trading zones and warn them,” Kiambu East Widows Welfare Association Secretary Charity Wanjiru told the Nation.

A disconnect

“But we have noted there is a disconnect in that police officers – who are supposed to arrest and prosecute the gangs – are reluctant to help us, saying we have to come with witnesses to prove our cases.”

She claims in the past one year, “at least 10 widows have been raped right in their houses, countless single mothers forced into casual sex relationships by the gangs while assault and foul language being used against my members is the order of the day.”

Central Region Coordinator Wilfred Nyagwanga told the Nation he has directed that the gangs be dealt with.

He said some illegal traders believe they are untouchable just because no one is willing to testify against them.

“The onus is on us in the security docket to devise ways of eradicating those gangs. We are not asleep and we shall not sit back and watch as widows and single mothers are transformed into play toys by criminals. The question the area security apparatus should answer to everyone else is why there are such gangs and what they are doing about them,” Mr Nyagwanga said.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Edward Mbugua told the Nation that “a proactive police officer cannot dismiss a complaint on grounds that the victim is incapacitated in any aspect of seeking justice”.

The police boss said it is the work of the police to investigate complaints and do all it takes to ensure justice is served.

“The argument that victims of injustice cannot access justice on account that they were not able to report or could not convince witnesses to testify is very stale. It is our work to go out there and make things happen,” he warned.

“We should have mobile Occurrence Book officers to record those complaints and apply our horizons and capacities to gather evidence necessary to stand arraignment and conviction. Unless there are officers who have become tired of working for the government, cases of grievances not being addressed point to utter dereliction of duty.”

Federation of African Women Educationists (Fawe) organising secretary Cecilia Gitu says more needs to be done to protect vulnerable women from such attacks.