They are young, aged between 13 and 26, and residents describe them as “young and dangerous”.
They have no second thought about hacking or shooting a person they think stands in their way of getting what they want.
They are vicious, sometimes acting under the influence of strong hallucinatory drugs.
These are the “police-taunting boys” of Nakuru’s most dangerous criminal gangs.
The gangs operating in Nakuru include Confirm, Eastlando, Msafi Kwanza and Gaza.
Investigations by the Nation have revealed that the gangs are responsible for robberies and muggings in specific marked territories in Nakuru town.
Confirm, for instance, has tentacles in various slums, including Kivumbini, Lake View, Kwa Rhoda, Kaptembwa, Flamingo, Kaloleni and Bondeni.
Other informal settlements acting as safe havens for the gangs include Pondamali, Weavers, Jasho, and Gikomba, all in Rhonda.
The Gaza group, residents say, operates in Pipeline, parts of Lanet and even in Nakuru town.
“Gaza, which is made up of mainly teenagers, operates in various parts of Nakuru Town East and Lanet. They are very young boys; one cannot imagine they can be so brutal. They have been operating right under the noses of the police,” said John Kariuki, a resident of Pipeline.
The Nation established that the other gangs also operate in both Nakuru Town West and Nakuru Town East, committing crimes even in broad daylight.
Five Fingers operates near Rhonda maternity and they are headed by a leader known as Kabere.
Gaza also operates in Jasho and is headed by Waweru, while the Mauki gang, based in the Mkarafu grounds, is headed by a leader named Pilot.
In the past few months, the criminal gangs have expanded their territories and recruited more members right under the nose of security agencies.
Police sources say members of the gangs are armed with crude weapons, including pangas, metal rods, machetes, swords and guns.
In the streets of Nakuru the criminals snatch handbags and phones from visitors in broad daylight.
They have invaded Nakuru’s central business district and key streets including Kenyatta Avenue.
Gang members also often waylay their victims and rob them of their valuables before disappearing into their hideouts or melting into the crowds.
In Nakuru Town West and East, for instance, the gangs recruit teenagers, mostly school dropouts and sometimes teenage students.
In interviews with some of the gang members, who did not want to be named, the Nation established that dozens of children aged between 13 and 18 have dropped out of school to join gangs.
“I dropped out of Class Eight and joined the Confirm group. I have been a member for over a year now,” said a boy aged 14.
“I was introduced to the gang by my peers at school who always had money and I had to drop out of school to earn money, because my parents were struggling to pay my school fees, rent and to put food on the table.
“But I was not the only one who dropped out of school. We were about five. We are all members of Confirm. We make money by conning the public. Sometimes we make up to hundreds of thousands.”
Another boy, aged 15, revealed that he dropped out of school to earn money and support his ailing mother.
“I was convinced by my peers to join the Gaza group. I have now been a member for about ten months,” he said.
The teenager confirmed that he knew about 20 children who had dropped out of school since last year to join criminal gangs.
Some of the gang members interviewed said they were ready to reform provided they found a well-wisher to take them back to school.
Most of the children are from informal settlements in Nakuru town.
The Nation independently established that about 80 children had dropped out of school to join organised gangs since last year.
But the county children’s department does not have records of the children, meaning that schools do not keep track of learners who drop out or do not share the information with authorities.
“My office does not have records of such minors, but the probation department can help with more details,” said Alice Wanyonyi, the county coordinator of children’s services.
Residents interviewed by the Nation spoke about dangerous gangs out to maim, rob and kill without a second thought.
One victim is Frederick Munyalo, a resident of Rhonda Estate, who said he closes his shop early because of insecurity in the area.
He was attacked last month, beaten and dumped in a ditch, left to fight for his life.
He had just closed his shop and was heading home when he was accosted by three gang members of the Confirm group.
The men, riding on a motorcycle, took away his phone and stabbed him several times with swords because he had no money to give them.
“They demanded that I give them my phone and money. I had only Sh200 in my pocket and a packet of maize flour. They threw away the flour and started beating and stabbing me in the head,” Mr Munyalo said.
The gang dumped him at the Mazembe grounds, leaving him with serious injuries in the head.
The 60-year-old man was found early the next morning lying unconscious in a pool of blood. Good Samaritans rushed him to Nakuru Level Five Hospital.
He spent three days in the ICU before undergoing a major operation on his head. He was discharged weeks later.
“They left me with a deep cut in my head. I had to be taken to the theatre to be stitched. The wounds were very huge. They have left me in much pain. I was given medicine that I am currently taking,” he said.
But just like many other residents here, Mr Munyalo was yet to report the attack to the police for fear of being harmed by the criminals.
Mr Munyalo said he used more than Sh40,000 on treatment and medicine.
In yet another incident, on February 2 at around 5am, George Kibet, a Nyumba Kumi elder from Pondamali Estate, had just woken up to open his shop when he heard a woman screaming and asking for help.
When he opened his gate to respond to the distress call, he saw a group of about five men holding a woman and robbing her. He pleaded with them to stop but they turned against him, stabbing him in his chest.
“They wanted to rape the woman. I tried to help but they turned on me and attacked me with metal bars. One boy stabbed me and fled,” he said.
Luckily, the scuffle drew the attention of neighbours, who came to his rescue and rushed him to a nearby hospital.
He was transferred to Nakuru Level Five as he had suffered a serious wound. He was admitted and discharged after eight days.
Mr Kibet reported the matter at Rhonda Police Station and recorded a statement but no arrest had been made.
These are not the only incidents. Last week criminals killed a teenager and dumped his body in the Sewage area of Nakuru town.
“People are robbed in the morning when they are going to work and sometimes during the day. The gangs don’t fear anything. They claim they know police officers and they can’t be arrested even if they are reported,” said a resident of Pondamali, who sought anonymity.
The gangs have clustered themselves in different groups and operate in different areas, with each group having a ring leader.
During the day, they hang around the estates smoking bhang, chewing muguka or drinking alcohol.
They have built temporary structures where it is believed they conduct their meetings.
A Nyumba Kumi elder, who spoke to the Nation on the condition of anonymity, revealed that when gang members are arrested they are always released under unclear circumstances without being taken to court.
This, he said, has made residents reluctant to report cases to the police as they fear for their lives.
“We want these criminals to be jailed after being arrested. But they are usually released and this poses a danger to residents. Jailing them will help,” he said.
Sometimes the situation is aggravated when the group collides with another or invades another’s gang’s zone.
“They have aligned themselves to zones. Each group operates in its zone. But they sometimes clash with each other and lives are lost in the fights,” he said.
“We urge Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi to personally intervene and end this menace once and for all.”
The Confirm gang is also said to have a network of fraudsters on the loose who use mobile money technology to swindle Kenyans out of their hard-earned cash in Nakuru and other towns.
The Nation established that the swindlers have devised ways of swindling their victims. The gang also fraudulently accesses bank accounts.
They buy, register and use SIM cards using identification cards stolen from victims.
They then block the SIM cards once the illegal transactions are completed, to avoid being tracked by the police.
Idle, unemployed youth and school dropouts in slums are blamed for the existence of the criminal gangs, which police in Nakuru have been trying to subdue.
Security authorities in Nakuru have for years been grappling with some of the gangs, including Confirm, which was among 90 listed by the former Interior Cabinet secretary, the late Joseph Nkaissery, in December 2016 as outlawed groups.
Nearly four years later, Confirm, which is said to enjoy protection, continues to indulge in its criminal activities.
When darkness sets in, some of the informal settlements are no-go zones. But gang members still operate during the day and have devised ways of escaping police dragnets.
Police presence in the areas does not deter the criminals.
Residents link the daring gang to two Nakuru politicians, said to have been financing and supporting its activities.
Residents that the Nation interviewed said one of the politicians is the criminals’ “godfather”.
“We all know that the two politicians protect the gang and even when they are arrested they bail the youth out,” said a resident, who sought anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
“There is a working relationship between the youth and the politicians. They drum up support for them during elections.”
Members of the criminal gang continue unleashing terror against residents despite police crackdowns.
In Kivumbini estate, for instance, several residents we talked to said a panga-wielding gang has been terrorising them.
“Several people have been attacked and left nursing serious injuries by the gangs, which also make away with their property. Nobody is spared, including police officers. They sometimes attack even police officers,” said one resident.
Residents also say the gangs commit crimes in broad daylight and at night.
Despite regular swoops and arrests of some members of the group, they continue committing crimes.
Residents also said the politicians have been protecting the group for more than seven years.
“The gang is always part of the politicians’ campaign teams during election periods. For instance, in the 2017 and 2013 elections, they were used by the two to intimidate their opponents,” said the resident.
The gang, it emerged, always seeks the intervention of the politicians whenever its members are arrested.
Residents said the group has mutated into a dangerous outfit that enjoys the protection of the local politicians and some “rogue police officers”.
They painted a picture of a dreaded gang out to terrorise residents.
Nakuru Town West sub-county police Commander Samson Gathuku, in an interview, urged residents to report when they are attacked by gang members.
“I urge people to report the matters to the authorities for easy prosecution. It is hard to arrest without having facts from the complainants. Security agents are ready to nip at the bud any re-emerging criminal gangs,” he said.
“We have arrested and charged many of the group’s members in court. I urge residents to be candid and to report any such incidents to help police arrest more culprits. We will wipe out the gangs.”
In one of the most recent incidents, police arrested two people, among them a 17-year-old believed to be a member of one of the gangs.
The two, who were impersonating police officers, led police to a private residence where they seized military uniforms and other Kenya Defense Forces paraphernalia.
Nakuru Town East sub-county police Commander Ellena Kabukuru said they had stepped up investigations and will ensure all criminal gangs are wiped out.
“We will not tolerate any criminal gang and those involved will face the full force of the law. We will intensify crackdowns to arrest these criminals,” she said.
She said security personnel had intensified their patrols in various parts of Nakuru to tame criminal activities.
It emerged that members of the group, composed mainly of young people, have enriched themselves from the proceeds of their crimes.
“The youth as young as 18 own property within and outside the estates. They have also extended their tentacles using this money,” a source told the Nation.
Rogue police officers are accused of colluding with the criminals and are said to get a share of the loot.
One such senior police officer, sources said, was recently transferred amid an uproar from locals over his alleged dabbling in crime.
The criminal gangs’ activities have previously caught the attention of Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui, who issued a stern warning.
“We will not allow criminal gangs to terrorise residents at will. I have already held meetings with security authorities and they shall face the full force of the law,” he said.
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At least four criminal groups operate in Nakuru.
They include Confirm, Eastlando, Msafi Kwanza, Gaza, Five Fingers and Mauki.
Confirm was in December 2016 listed by the former Interior Cabinet Secretary, the late Joseph Nkaissery, as one of the more than 90 outlawed gangs operating in Kenya.
The gang operates with impunity and obtains money fraudulently through mobile money transfer services, bank accounts, muggings and robberies.
Previously, residents complained about insecurity, saying most informal settlement areas had turned into hideouts for criminal gangs.
The criminal gangs prefer low-income settlement areas. They operate in places where police penetration is low.
In the past, hundreds of gang members have been arrested but they are bailed out after being arraigned.
Police have also in the past shot dead some members of the gangs. BY DAILY NATION