Nairobi’s Gang Crisis Threatens Journalists and Citizens

The Kenya Media Sector Working Group (KMSWG) has sounded the alarm following the savage attack on Nation Media Group photojournalist Habil Kweyu earlier this week.
Kweyu was attacked by machete-wielding criminals on a motorcycle as he was returning home from reporting on security issues in Nairobi.
He suffered significant injuries, highlighting the increasing peril faced by both journalists and ordinary citizens in the capital city.
“This should be a wake-up call to authorities and law enforcement agencies to suppress the rampaging gangs intent on transforming Nairobi into a living hell,” the coalition stated in their declaration.
“No nation can thrive if its primary urban center is overwhelmed by insecurity such as what is currently plaguing Nairobi.”
Recent weeks have seen a dramatic rise in audacious daylight thefts across Nairobi.
Videos shared on online platforms depict gangs shattering vehicle windows in traffic, stealing mobile devices and purses, and trapping pedestrians on walkways.
Even neighborhoods typically considered safe like Kilimani, Lavington, and Kileleshwa have emerged as focal points for violent incidents.
Within the Central Business District, masquerading as street children, gangs have been documented encircling unwary individuals and robbing them openly.
“Organized criminal networks persist in menacing vehicle operators, pedestrians, business proprietors and travelers with shocking brazenness,” the Kenya Editors Guild cautioned.
An official government document from the previous year disclosed that Kenya harbors at least 309 active criminal organizations, with Nairobi hosting 56 of these groups.
These criminal bands are infamous for employing machetes, poisoned arrows, and extreme brutality, frequently linked with narcotics trafficking.
Media figures Erick Oduor and Zubeidah Kananu, who endorsed the KMSWG declaration, implored security leaders to take firm action.
“We demand that security commanders initiate a decisive operation against these gangs to diminish the count of Kenyans victimized by these hazardous criminals before the lawlessness spirals beyond control,” they declared.