A spate of violence involving teenage gangs has sparked concern in several estates in Nairobi following the death of a 15-year-old boy in Umoja Innercore, Msasa Area, who was attacked by a group of teenagers.
Initial alarm was raised on Sunday August 24 after a video emerged of a gang of youths assaulting the teenager in the estate in Embakasi West.
Reports from residents and community leaders indicate an increase in juvenile delinquency, with young boys and girls engaging in criminal activity as part of large groups.
Following the boy's death, the local community convened a meeting where it was agreed that action would be taken against the teenagers, despite their 'minor' status, if their guardians failed to address the matter through proper guidance.
In a separate but equally disturbing video, several teenagers filmed themselves boasting about their capability to cause mayhem while issuing threats and vowing to assault one of their colleagues.
Rise of teen Gangs
Kenyans.co.ke has since been able to obtain several communiques from WhatsApp groups attached to several estates, who sounded alarm while issuing warnings to parents over the rise of the teen gangs.
In one communique, an assistant chief confirmed that more than 20 school-going boys and girls were involved in recent attacks.
The gangs reportedly roam in packs, mugging and assaulting fellow youths.
As a mitigation measure, one of the estates in the Embakasi West area issued a curfew, stating that no child should be found loitering the streets past 6:00pm.
“From today, no child should be found loitering past 6:00 PM. Parents must take responsibility. A group of more than five children without supervision will attract legal action,” read part of the community notice circulated via WhatsApp groups.
Authorities have also acted on the matter with seriousness, with a high-level meeting involving the Assistant County Commissioner and area leadership being held earlier this week to chart a way forward.
In a separate estate in the Embakasi area, the local community has convened a 'Baraza' scheduled for August 31 to directly address the security threat posed by the teen gangs and involve residents in coming up with solutions.
