A special police unit raided and killed five suspected robbers in Mombasa on Saturday, March 27, after residents complained of increased cases of insecuity in the coastal town.
The five were gunned down by the special police unit from Nairobi which deals with organised crime and countering terrorism.
Nyali sub-county police commander Daniel Mumasaba, revealed that the police unit engaged the criminals in a shootout at their hideout in Mbugoni, Bombolulu, Mombasa County.
“We managed to recover an AK47 and 32 rounds of ammunition from the house where the criminals were cornered,” Mumasaba said.
In 2018, the National Crime Research Centre (NCRC) in the Ministry of Interior identified 43 gangs that operated in Mombasa.
The gangs have been linked to attacks in the county and other criminal activities especially in the drug trade.
An investigation report by France 24 TV in October 2019 showed that Mombasa had become a major trafficking hub for heroin and cocaine from Latin America and Asia to Dubai and Europe.
In a media report published in 2019, the then regional police commander pointed out possible links between gang attacks and drug cartels.
A report from the NCRC also shows that gangs with more experienced members have a military capacity and carry firearms.
In February 2020, five suspected gang members were killed by the police after they attacked and injured 10 people with pangas in Mshomoroni and Junda areas in Kisauni, Mombasa county.
The police said that the five were among a gang of at least 20 members that indiscriminately attacked people on the streets, without stealing or destroying their property.
The Kenya Red Cross Society has been running programs that aim at discouraging young people from joining street gangs or violent extremist groups.
