Government lists 109 gangs ahead of 2027 polls

By  Steve Otieno

Reporter

Nation Media Group

The government has arrested 1,827 suspects and secured 729 convictions by August as security agencies step up a crackdown on 109 criminal gangs and organised groups ahead of the 2027 General Election.

The suspects have been arrested and arraigned between January 1 and August 31 over offences relating to goonism and organised criminal activity, with Trans Nzoia recording the highest number of arrests at 491.

A further 716 cases are still before the courts, according to the State Department for Internal Security and National Administration, which said the figures demonstrate that the crackdown has moved beyond arrests to investigations, prosecutions and convictions.

In a statement, Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo revealed that the state has identified 109 organised criminal gangs and groups across the country; a sharp increase from the 89 groups that had been declared illegal through Gazette Notice No. 10427 of 2016.

Western Kenya has the largest concentration, with 38 groups identified, followed by the Rift Valley with 22 and Nairobi with 20. Nyanza had 12 groups, Coast 11, Eastern three, North-Eastern two and Central one.

The Internal Security PS raised concern over the growing use of gangs and organised youth groups in violence, intimidation, extortion and other criminal activities, particularly as the country approached the 2027 elections.

He warned that criminal groups could be mobilised for political intimidation, attacks, harassment and disruption, placing them at the centre of the security preparations for the next General Election.

“Those who recruit, finance or direct such groups will be held to account alongside those who carry out the violence,” he said.

The crackdown has also marked a shift from targeting individual offenders to dismantling the networks that had allowed gangs to recruit members, raise money and regenerate after arrests.

Through intelligence-led policing, investigators are working to identify gang leaders, recruiters and financiers while linking cases that have initially appeared to be separate incidents.

Financial investigations, the PS said, are also being pursued to trace proceeds from extortion, robbery, illegal businesses and other organised criminal activities.

The government has attributed part of the challenge to increasingly decentralised gang structures and the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, particularly in vulnerable border areas.

Multi-agency cooperation, community-based intelligence and collaboration with neighbouring countries have consequently been strengthened where criminal activities crossed borders.

In a circular sent to police bosses last month, the Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja directed Regional Commanders to take firm, decisive and lawful action against criminal gangs and organised violence within their areas of command.

The government has also warned that police officers found, through due process, to have facilitated criminal activity or failed to take appropriate action will face administrative or disciplinary action.

PS Omollo also acknowledged that arrests and prosecutions alone will not permanently dismantle organised criminality. Many young people, he said, have been drawn into gangs by the promise of quick money, while others have been coerced or exploited by people who financed and directed violence.

“Limited economic opportunities leave them exposed to this exploitation. This does not excuse criminal conduct, but it tells us where lasting solutions must begin,” he said.

As a remedy, the government said it is combining enforcement with prevention, rehabilitation and reintegration, working with the Probation and Aftercare Service, Kenya Prisons Service, county governments, faith-based organisations and community leaders.

Former gang members will be supported in rebuilding their lives and returning to their communities, while young people have been urged to take up employment, enterprise development and financing opportunities through programmes such as NYOTA and the Hustler Fund.

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