Police intercepted and arrested nearly 300 suspected members of Kenya’s outlawed Mungiki sect in Nyeri County, Mount Kenya region, on 31 December. They were thought to be heading for a thanksgiving rally organised by Maina Njenga, the former leader of the sect.
Njenga, now a pastor and politician, has been linked to opposition leader Raila Odinga and ex-president Uhuru Kenyatta.
Before the arrests, the former sect leader had said a new Mount Kenya kingpin would be announced at the rally.
However, police officers mounted roadblocks and searched vehicles in Nyeri town, leading to the arrest of the suspects.
“We shall not allow any security threat or illegal meeting,” Benjamin Rotich, the Nyeri County police commander said.
Police claimed that some of the suspects were found with knives, goats and Mungiki flags — items used by the sect to conduct rituals.
At a Nyeri court on Tuesday, the suspects pleaded not guilty to charges of attending unlawful gatherings and threatening security. They were later released on bail.
299 suspects arrested on Sunday for attempting to attend a meeting convened by former Mungiki leader Maina Njenga have been arraigned before an open court at Nyeri Central Police Station.
📹: James Murimi pic.twitter.com/i2HQo3XzY5
— Nation Africa (@NationAfrica) January 2, 2024
According to their lawyer, Ndegwa Njiru, the arrests were politically motivated and his clients were unlawfully confined under inhumane conditions in small cells.
“My clients have been criminalised just because they are young Kikuyu men. You cannot pack over 300 people in these small cells and there is no separation of gender,” he said, adding that they were denied food and water for three days.
Njenga accused the deputy president, Rigathi Gachagua, of being behind the arrests.
“Rigathi is setting our youths against the notorious police brutality,” he said. “This government should desist from criminalising innocent Kikuyu youth and embark on addressing the underlying problem of the skyrocketing cost of living.”
Re-emergence of Mungiki
Responding to the allegation on Tuesday, Gachagua said the government will not allow any attempt to revive the sect. He accused the youths of harassing businesspeople and motorists by forcefully charging them illegal taxes.
“I’m ready to pay any political price to protect our people against this illegal sect, even if it means losing our votes,” Gachagua said.
Both Gachagua and Njenga are from the Mount Kenya region.
Last November, some women members of parliament from the region expressed concern over alleged attempts of reviving the Mungiki sect and asked the government to take decisive action.
After the 2022 election, the opposition accused the government of profiling youths from Mount Kenya to force Njenga to support President William Ruto’s administration.
Kevin Ochol, a political analyst in Nairobi, tells The Africa Report that though the fears over the resurgence of the sect are justified, it is also political.
“It’s clear that Gachagua and Njenga are caught up in a supremacy battle on who is the political leader in Mount Kenya region.”
Historical context
Mungiki, a former powerful sect that began in the 1990s as a religious outfit, comprised mainly of youths from Central Kenya and Nairobi regions. It was banned in 2002 after being designated as a criminal organised group by the Kenyan authorities.
In 2007, more than 100 suspected Mungiki members were killed in a police crackdown after the group was blamed for a series of killings in central Kenya.
Understand Africa’s tomorrow… today
We believe that Africa is poorly represented, and badly under-estimated. Beyond the vast opportunity manifest in African markets, we highlight people who make a difference; leaders turning the tide, youth driving change, and an indefatigable business community. That is what we believe will change the continent, and that is what we report on. With hard-hitting investigations, innovative analysis and deep dives into countries and sectors, The Africa Report delivers the insight you need.