Nakuru MPs David Gikaria, Samuel Arama and Kimani Ngunjiri quizzed over gang links

MPs Samuel Arama (Nakuru Town West), Kimani Ngunjiri (Bahati) and David Gikaria (Nakuru Town East).

MPs Samuel Arama (Nakuru Town West), Kimani Ngunjiri (Bahati) and David Gikaria (Nakuru Town East).

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

Three Nakuru MPs are being probed over their alleged links to the dreaded Confirm gang that has been terrorising residents of Nakuru City and its environs.

Nakuru Town East MP David Gikaria, his Nakuru West counterpart Samuel Arama and Bahati’s Kimani Ngunjiri were on Monday summoned to record statements.

Also under investigation is the son of Mr Gikaria, whom authorities believe has been promoting the activities of the gang.

Rift Valley Regional Commissioner Maalim Mohamed yesterday confirmed that the three lawmakers were summoned to appear before the Directorate of Criminal Investigations office in Nakuru for questioning over the matter.

Mr Maalim said Mr Ngunjiri is required to provide more information about the gang after he publicly claimed that a group of youths had been ferried from Nairobi to Nakuru to terrorise certain people during the elections.

He said the MP later presented himself to the County Commissioner’s office claiming to have information about the Nakuru criminal gangs. “We want him to tell more about the gang that he is talking about. We do not say that they are suspects but we want them to share the information which will aid investigations,” said Mr Maalim.

Mr Arama and Mr Gikaria together with his son have, according to Mr Maalim, been adversely implicated in the financing and protection of the gang.

Police sources also revealed that the MPs have been bailing out members of the gang whenever they are arrested.

The two, who appeared before the regional DCI offices yesterday morning, were quizzed for hours before they were released.

Mr Arama, however, upon being released, denied being questioned by the officers, noting that he had visited the offices for a different matter.

He denied having any links with the criminal gangs. “I only came here by myself to discuss other matters when I also learnt that Mr Gikaria was also here,” said Mr Arama.

Mr Mohamed yesterday revealed that police have arrested 128 people suspected to be members of the outlawed group.

This comes after a special security squad deployed by Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i intensified the crackdown on Confirm and other criminal gangs in the region.

The gang and other criminal groups have been linked to robberies,rapes and a series of chilling murders in Mawanga area, Bahati Sub-County.

Although police are still investigating the bizarre murders, intelligence reports indicate that members of the group could be behind the killings. Police are investigating the mysterious murders involving only women, which have been reported within two weeks in Mawanga and its environs.

Addressing the media after a meeting with the regional security intelligence committee members and county security intelligence committee, Mr Mohamed said officers have already identified the suspected heads of the gang’s operations.

During the raid, security officers recovered 436 mobile phones,40 laptops, 61 knives, six swords, 15 pangas, 3,367 rolls of bhang, more than one-kilogramme unprocessed bhang, and sachets of heroin. They also managed to recover Army uniform, National Youth Service uniform, toy guns and ten unclaimed motorbikes suspected to be used by the gang to conduct their criminal activities.

“We have commenced our investigations in order to know whether the Confirm gang is the one involved in the Mawanga murders, their motive behind the killings or if it’s cult-related,”he said.