A group of 50 youths armed with weapons took Maragua town, Murang'a County hostage from Monday night from 8.30 pm to Tuesday morning 6 am.
This was confirmed by Ichagaki MCA Charles Mwangi who noted the crafty gang patrolled the town brandishing poisonous arrows, machetes and knives to show their might.
Reports indicate that they scoured the nearby Rurii and bordering estates before retreating to their hideouts in the morning. The MCA noted that the sight of irate youths carrying crude weapons caused the residents to hide in their homes for fear of being attacked.
Mwangi called upon the government to bring the youths to justice as they have caused chaos in the town for over three months.
In the period, the gang has killed six people and injured scores of residents. Furthermore, businesses have counted losses owing to a section of Kenyans fleeing the area to escape the terror gang.
“Worst affected are landlords who are now facing tenant flight in the zones that the gang has taken over, bars that have to compete with unlicensed and cheap liquor on sale in the gang’s dens as well as a property market facing a slump owing to bad publicity of the town,” Mwangi stated.
Speaking to a local media house, residents affirmed that the gang consist of bhang and illicit brew traders who operate within the area.
"All these people and their dens are well known to us and the security officers. It is an industry that is estimated to have a daily turnover of Ksh100,000 and some corrupt security officers get a bite of the pie, hence this impunity we are witnessing from the gang members,” a resident stated.
Another resident who also sought anonymity speculated that the gang's terror remained prevalent in the town as the gang was managed by a former area administrator in conjunction with an assistant chief. Alluding to this, he noted that the gang continues to recruit officers in order to keep dealings in the area.
The gang's actions were condemned by Maragua Assistant County Commissioner Joshua Okello who affirmed that their efforts to apprehend members of the gang seemed fruitless as the judicial system in court handed the gang lenient terms.
His sentiments were backed up by County Commissioner Mohammed Bare who added that serious investigations are ongoing to determine the best effective measures to take to contain the gang.
“It is interesting to note that this problem keeps on recurring. The problem must be in our response and action and that is the area we are going to audit to establish the missing links," he stated.
