Murkomen warns of crackdown on rogue police, politicians fueling gangs

Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV, Murkomen referenced the unrest during the recently held by-elections where police officers were seen interacting casually with machete-wielding individuals. 

He noted that Inspector General Douglas Kanja had already launched processes to hold culpable officers accountable.

On the issue of the prevalence of gangs across the nation, Murkomen stated that some officers and politicians have become accomplices in such activities, adding that the problem cuts across both the government and opposition. 

“There are people who support the government, but they invest in gangs. We cannot condone this issue of gangs and we cannot protect them simply because somebody is supporting or opposing the president,” he noted. 

Murkomen, who has been spearheading the rollout of the Jukwaa la Usalama initiative, said the government is shifting towards an intelligence-based approach to enhance security. 

“Jukwaa is modelled around the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda. From a governance perspective, it is citizens and the officers’ participation in resolving security challenges by listening to the concerns of the people below,” he explained.

The Interior CS described gangs as politically fuelled entities that often operate as mercenaries for hire, often going for the highest bidder. 

 “These gangs survive by being contracted by unscrupulous business people to take people’s land. They are being co-opted by politicians to provide services and they are not loyal to anybody; they are just loyal to the highest bidder,” he pointed out. 

Murkomen revealed that the government is preparing a major intelligence-led operation targeting gang leaders and financiers. He described it as an extensive crackdown that will dismantle the networks from the top. 

“What we are planning to do is identification and recognition of the challenges we have with gangs. We intend to do an intelligence-led operation and this will target the gang leaders and the financiers,” he said, adding that the Inspector General is formulating the strategy to ensure the operation is effective.

The CS acknowledged that the task ahead will not be easy, but insisted the government is committed to eliminating gang influence from the country.