Police Launch Manhunt For Teen Gang Targeting Foreigners

Kamukunji Police officers during a patrol in Nairobi CBD on Tuesday, January 25, 2022.
Kamukunji Police officers during a patrol in Nairobi CBD on Tuesday, January 25, 2022.
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Police have launched a manhunt for a youthful gang terrorising foreigners and tourists in Mombasa's Old Town area.

Speaking to the media on Monday, February 28, Mombasa OCPD, John Ongaya, stated that the gang consisting of school-going students has been stealing from both locals and foreigners in broad daylight.

In one of the incidents captured by a surveillance camera, three young men armed with crude weapons are seen snatching phones from unsuspecting tourists before taking off.

A section of Mombasa Old Town.
A section of Mombasa Old Town.
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Residents have not been spared either as the daring truants resort to clobbering victims who put up a fight when accosted by the gang. Ongaya noted that officers were trailing the suspects who had been captured on the CCTV footage.

"We are coming for you, you can guarantee that. We are not going to allow anyone to walk away scot-free yet they are making the lives of others difficult," he noted.

The police noted that the gang targets tourists based on the notion that they would not be prosecuted nor charged before a court of law as their victims will not be around to testify against them.

Residents have further decried the spike in insecurity, noting that it poses the threat to tourism which is their major source of livelihoods.

Consequently, more police officers have been deployed to Kibokoni area. The police are also working with locals to help identify and bring the perpetrators to book.

While the majority have blamed the high unemployment rate and drug and substance abuse for the mushrooming gangs, some have blamed parents for not playing their part by instilling values in their children.

"The majority of the youth in the area have no jobs with some of them abusing drugs which clouds their judgment. To rid this cropping trend, parents need to sit down with their children and teach them values," the residents remarked.

There has been a sharp increase in the number of youth gangs operating from across the country, with indications that some of them are politically inclined.

In 2019, a report by the  National Crime Research Centre recommended that there be a routine publication of names of criminal gangs, organised crime kingpins, politicians, business people and wayward government officials who support the groups, as well as continuous and effective mapping and surveillance of organised criminal group hotspots.

Police patrols at old town streets in Mombasa on October 6th 2016.
Police patrols at old town streets in Mombasa on October 6th 2016.
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