A horrifying night unfolded in Mikindani, Mombasa County, leaving eight individuals nursing severe injuries following a merciless assault by a gang wielding machetes.
The vicious attack, which occurred around 1 a.m. on Wednesday, April 3, has stirred concerns over the escalating wave of gang violence plaguing the Coastal region.
Eyewitnesses recounted a harrowing ordeal as a gang comprising approximately 20 assailants descended upon them with a flurry of violent blows and slashes.
David Munene, one of the survivors, revealed the chilling details of the attack, stating that he was viciously stabbed in the abdomen as he resisted the assailants' attempt to seize his phone.
"I was stabbed on the left side of the stomach. He intended to get my phone. I jumped in front and ran," narrated Munene, at a hospital bed on Thursday, April 4.
Tragically, not everyone was as fortunate as Munene. Another victim, Kennedy Muthui, who is nursing injuries to his head and hand, described the suddenness of the assault, lamenting, "They were armed with machetes, knives, and batons. I did not see them coming. They surprised me and attacked me."
Security authorities swiftly moved into action, apprehending five suspects and launching a widespread operation to capture the remaining perpetrators.
"I want to warn those gangs operating here in Jomvu we are coming for you," declared Lydia Wanjiru, Jomvu Police Commander, pointing to the resolve of the police force to stamp out the menace of gang violence.
However, the Mikindani incident is not an isolated occurrence.
Just hours prior, a similar rampage unfolded in the Mjambere area of Kisauni, where a gang raided a house, looted the premises, and callously set it ablaze.
Police, responding to the incident, arrested ten suspects believed to be affiliated with the criminal gang responsible for the heinous act.
Detectives are now probing the incident as a case of robbery with violence and arson, adding to the litany of crimes attributed to gangs operating in the Coastal region.
The prevalence of such attacks has sparked widespread alarm among residents, who have decried the growing influence of panga-wielding juvenile criminal gangs. Notorious groups such as Shiranga, Young Thug, Watalia, Wajukuu wa Bibi, Wakali Wao, and Wakali Kwanza have instilled fear and insecurity in communities, with their brazen acts of violence and theft.
Police investigations have revealed a disturbing nexus between these criminal gangs, political patronage, and influence peddling. Reports suggest that the gangs are often motivated by monetary incentives from politicians and emboldened by dubious promises of invincibility from witch doctors.
The gravity of the situation was starkly illustrated in February, when two suspected gang members met a grisly end after intruding on a funeral fundraising event in Mombasa.
The assailants, part of a larger group that terrorized mourners, were lynched, and their bodies set ablaze by enraged attendees.
