Is Madogo Tana River's most dangerous town?

They are brutal and merciless, killing at the slightest provocation on any day they choose to unleash terror in Madogo town in Tana River County, where their activities have curtailed economic enterprise.

The gang members, aged between 13 and 17, are armed with dangerous weapons and, according to witnesses, are not afraid to kill.

Police reports show that not a day goes by without someone being attacked at knifepoint in public, and any resistance leaves the victim with injuries from a knife or sometimes a needle.

"You never see when they are coming for you, they just suddenly jump on you like six of them and take what they want," says Hassan Rashid, a local resident.

Rashid notes that the gangs compete with one another, judging themselves on which gang has the most deadly attacks and the most robberies. 

While the Kayole Brothers control the eastern side of the town, the 42 Brothers control the western side and have been moving eastwards since some of the Kayole Brothers made a deal with local leaders.

These acts of economic sabotage have caused the town to lose business, with traders fleeing to neighbouring Bura, Bangale, Garissa and Hola towns.

New traders have had their shops broken into at night and their goods stolen, losses that others cannot bear.

"It is difficult to invest in this town. It used to be one of the best until these groups came and turned it into a den of robbers," says Agnes Musau, a trader.

The gang uses deadly weapons, and some of their victims complain of contracting various mysterious infections after being attacked.
Isack Gitonga claims his father was injected with something that later affected his health and led to his death a few months later.

"We don't know what it was, but he came home and told us that they had attacked him and when he resisted, they injected something into his neck. He didn't last three months, we buried him in February," he says.

Residents say that since the arrest and detention of the gang leaders, the police have been unable to control the rest of the group.

As a result, the residents are forced to walk around armed with poisoned weapons such as knives and other metallic substances.

"Even women who are traders arm themselves with daggers and some with sharp poisoned nails, just in case they have to fight back if they are attacked," says Amina Mohammed.

Negotiations between the gang members and local leaders have been unsuccessful. 

The local leadership had mooted plans to give some unemployed youths jobs to keep them away from crime.

But members of the 42 Brothers feel that the leaders have given the Kayole Brothers relevance and supremacy and are out to prove a point.

"Our main problem was the Kayole Brothers, and that is the only group that has been a nuisance here, we agreed to give them jobs and the tools they need to work in exchange for normality, which we are still in the process of delivering," says Madogo MCA Juma Ali Dido.

Dido notes that the Kayole brothers have now received some of the carts they requested and will soon receive car-washing equipment.

These, he says, are the businesses the group appealed to the leaders to set up for them in exchange for peace in the area.

He also notes that the county administration will give the gang members jobs building the local market, which will give them an income.

"We may not be where we want to be, but we are determined to ensure that we end crime in Madogo and restore its lost economic glory," he says.

Tana River police boss Richard Ng'eno says security officers were aware of the reality of insecurity and that his team had decided to use community policing to ensure a peaceful end to crime.

"These are their children but we have a people to protect, the leaders have asked for a chance for dialogue and it is working so far but we are vigilant to ensure that other groups don't take advantage of this," he says.

Ng'eno notes that crime in the area has now reduced, and urges residents to remain vigilant and report any concerns they may have.

But peace in Madogo Town still hangs by a thin thread, held up by politicians' promises.

If the deal falls through, residents fear insecurity will worsen.

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