HOME
by
Patrick Mathangani ("This Day," September 26, 2002)
Police fired in the air and
lobbed tear gas canisters yesterday to disperse hundreds of armed youths who
were hunting down suspected Mungiki adherents who killed two people in
Nyeri.
Business came to a standstill in
Othaya town as apprehensive residents fled the area fearing a violent
confrontation between the youths and adherents of the outlawed Mungiki
movement.
And bloodshed was averted when a
combined force of Flying Squad, regular and Administration Police officers
confronted the youths as they attempted to storm the home of a local
parliamentary aspirant.
They accused the aspirant, Mr
John Wang'ondu who is vying for the Othaya seat on a Kanu ticket of harbouring
the killers.
During the Monday incident, a
gang believed to comprise Mungiki followers, attacked people at the
town's bus stage, killing two and injuring eight others.
The Mungiki adherents were
allegedly avenging the burning of a banner advertising Cabinet Minister Uhuru
Kenyatta's presidential bid.
Yesterday, the aspirant's home
was turned into a battle field as the stone throwing youths resisted police
attempts to prevent them from accomplishing their mission.
Gunshots rent the air and teargas
spiralled at the scene of the confrontation as frightened residents fled their
homes. Workers at the home of the aspirant, who was said to be away, scampered
for safety.
The police led by Nyeri police
boss Henry Barmao and acting Criminal Investigations Department boss William
Kosgey overpowered the invaders who fled into nearby coffee and maize
plantations.
Earlier, the youths had told
local District Officer Michael Yator that the Mungiki followers lived
amongst them and were well known. They accused police of complicity, saying some
of those arrested after the Monday incident had been freed.
However, Mr Yator echoed Nyeri
police boss Henry Barmao's earlier remarks that the killers were not Mungiki
members.
"You should not say anything
you cannot prove," he told them. The DO defended Mr Wang'ondu against the
accusations, and warned the vigilantes not to associate the Monday violence with
the Uhuru-for-President campaign.
He convinced the youth to
disperse, but they later regrouped and attempted to storm Mr Wang'ondu's home.
Shops in Othaya remained closed
as as police kept vigil at Mr Wang'ondu's home throughout yesterday.
Meanwhile, national
officials of the banned sect yesterday maintained they were not involved in the
Nairobi and the Othaya violence in which four people died.
They also reaffirmed their
support for President Moi's choice of successor Uhuru Kenyatta stating they
preferred him by virtue of his age compared to other presidential candidates.
They instead shifted blame to
Rainbow Alliance supporters, accusing them of the killings in the Mathare slum
violence on Sunday. The killings followed a huge Rainbow rally at
Nairobi's Uhuru Park.
Co-ordinator Ndura Waruinge told
pressmen in Nairobi that touts involved in the Othaya violence were not Mungiki
members.
In his reaction to Cabinet
Minister Mr Raila Odinga's claim that Mungiki members carried out the
killings in Nairobi, he alleged that the minister supported the group involved
in attacking residents at the slum.
He said plans were afoot to
commit crime in the city and later blame it on the sect.
Mr Waruinge also urged police to
maintain law and order in the electioneering period saying it was their duty to
protect the lives of all Kenyans.
"Let us not be depicted as
criminals owing to our political stand. We are a peaceful people," he said.
Mr Waruinge claimed the media and
specifically the Daily Nation was biased in reporting about the
sect.
Mungiki
Sect Members Kill Two in City 
("The
East African Standard," September 24, 2002)
Two
people died after night-long skirmishes between two rival groups within
Mathare slums.
The
two people were hacked to death with pangas, axes and other crude weapons by a
rival gang believed to be Mungiki sect members that confronted them as they
marched home from Sunday's Rainbow Alliance rally at Uhuru Park.
The
dead were fished out of the filthy Nairobi River by police and the bodies
transferred to the City Mortuary awaiting post mortem examination.
Several
others were rushed to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) by St John's Ambulance
personnel who were called to take the injured to hospital.
Twenty-eight-year
old welding engineer, Raphael Oyando Odero narrowly escaped death but
sustained serious injuries when he met the gang. He sustained deep cuts in the
head and arms but was rushed to a clinic by good Samaritans.
Odero
said that he was going to the shop when he was confronted by the group which
asked him to identify himself. "They suddenly attacked me with pangas,
axes, rungus and other crude weapons. I tried to block the blows but they
chopped my hands," narrated Odero at the Geomayogo Medical Clinic and
Maternity in Mathare Area 4A.
Heavily-armed
police officers led by Nairobi Provincial Police Officer, Stephen Kimenchu,
Provincial CID boss, Gabriel Mutunga and the deputy Kasarani Police boss,
Ongere Sagala rushed to the area and quickly restored order.
According
to a source within the depot which borders the slum, a gang from Kosovo slum
area confronted a group returning home after the rally, hacking anyone on
sight.
Police
Commissioner, Philemon Abong'o confirmed that two people died and seven others
were seriously injured. He revealed that police were deployed to the area
immediately and arrested three of the assailants. The rest managed to escape
the police dragnet.
Meanwhile,
reports reaching us yesterday evening indicate that a man was killed and four
others were left in critical condition. This was after a gang raided Othaya
matatu terminus yesterday morning.
Francis
Muturi Ngunjiri, aged 37, died at Nyeri Provincial General Hospital where he
had been taken after the attack that occurred at 9 am.
He
had sustained deep panga cuts on the head and a stab wound through the ribs.
Others
who are admitted at the same hospital in critical condition were identified as
Gerald Waweru Gatuguta, Patrick Mwangi and Owen Taiti.
Several
other victims who sustained injuries were treated and discharged at the Othaya
Health Centre.
Church
Condemns Ndichu, Kihika
by
Clarice
Jerono ("East African Standard,"
August 19, 2002)
The
Catholic church has condemned calls by two MPs that they would mobilise
Mungiki sect members if members of the public continued insulting President
Moi.
Through
Holy Family Basilica father, Emmanuel Ngugi, the church said the two do not
deserve to be leaders if they could make the outbursts.
It
was unwise for leaders to advocate for chaos to solve their differences and
they should instead preach reconciliation to their electors and enemies, he
said.
"Instead
of planting seeds of hatred, our leaders should be on the forefront in
stabilising peace in the country," he said.
The
father was reacting to remarks made over the weekend by Juja MP, Mr Stephen
Ndichu, and his Molo counterpart, Mr Dickson Kihika Kimani, that they will
fight anyone opposing President Moi.
The
church also announced that this year's second anniversary of the late father
John Anthony Kaiser will be held on Saturday August 24 at St Francis Catholic
parish, in Naivasha.
("Daily
Nation," August 23, 2002)
Cabinet minister
Uhuru Kenyatta has denounced the Mungiki sect, saying that the members
did not win his favour by holding a demonstration in city streets on Tuesday.
In an angry and sharp
response to questions about his relationship with the outlawed group, Mr
Kenyatta said his hopes to ascend to the country's presidency lay with the
registered voters, and not the snuff-taking members of the outlawed group.
He denied having any
links with the Mungiki, saying he had no control over any group that
decided to demonstrate in his support. "How many people run up and down the
Nairobi streets shouting support for A B or C?" he asked.
And as proof that
there was no love lost between him and the group, Mr Kenyatta cited an incident
two years ago where the group burnt his effigy "just outside my father's
mausoleum!" . At the time, the Mungiki members who held a demo in
the city were accusing him of being used by the government to harass and
intimidate the sect.
He, however, said
that while he was opposed to the demonstrations by Mungiki, he recognised
their right to show support for anyone. "All Kenyans are free to support
whomever they wish to support."
Mr Kenyatta's
denunciation of Mungiki comes barely two day after 3,000 members of the
controversial sect marched through the city centre to Uhuru Park, condemning
opponents of Mr Kenyatta in the Kanu polls race.
They sniffed tobacco,
wielding clubs and machettes and waved pro-Uhuru placards.
Meanwhile, Mungiki
leader, Mr Maina Njenga accused Attorney General Amos Wako of
"playing politics" by failing to take action when people
"insulted" President Moi, or allowed hired goons to terrorised
MPs and Kenyans to conduct their business freely.
He defended Tuesday's
demonstration, saying it had been sanctioned by the authorities.
"Our
demonstration was legal as we had received a nod from Nairobi PC Cyrus Maina and
from Police headquarters. We informed them that our agenda was to hold a
peaceful rally to popularise presidential hopeful Uhuru Kenyatta," he said.
He announced that
similar demonstrations were planned in Nakuru, Nyahururu and Nyeri towns, and
appealed to the government to set aside several cases against the sect
leadership to allow them to extend their campaigns to Nyanza, Western and Coast
provinces.
The sect was also
planning to hold meet-the-people tours in other parts of the country to mobilise
support for Mr Kenyatta.
Mr Njenga dared Kanu
secretary general Raila Odinga and Westlands MP Fred Gumo to substantiate their
claims that the group was behind the Karibangi killings early this year in which
23 people died.
"Why have they
failed to record statements with the police stating our role in the Kariobangi
killings?" he said.
He denied the group
had received funding from President Moi or Mr Uhuru Kenyatta as alleged.
"We rely on
contributions from our members who are scattered all over the country," Mr
Njenga said during a press conference in Nakuru. He was accompanied by the Mungiki
Rift Valley co-ordinator Mr Ruo Kimani Ruo among others.
A-G
Orders Arrest of Mungiki Followers
by
Nancy Khisa ("East African
Standard," August 22, 2002)
Attorney-General
Amos Wako yesterday ordered police to arrest and prosecute the people who took
part in Tuesday's demonstration organised by the proscribed Mungiki sect.
Wako
said Mungiki is among the 18 outlawed organisations and accused the police of
negligence in carrying out their duties.
"For
the police and law enforcement to stand by and witness offences being
committed is a dereliction of their duties," Wako said.
He
said the Mungiki movement together with 17 others were outlawed on March 15
this year through Legal Notice Number 42 in the Kenya Gazette.
Wako
said the Legal Notice means that Mungiki together with 17 others are dangerous
to the good government of the Republic of Kenya.
A
special issue of the Kenya Gazette supplement number 20 of March 15, 2002, by
the Minister of State in the Office of the President in-charge of internal
security, Mr Julius Sunkuli, outlawed 18 vigilante groups under section 4(1)
(ii) of the Societies Act.
The
groups were named as Mungiki, Jeshi la Mzee, Jeshi la Embakasi, Jeshi la
King'ole, Baghdad boys, Chinkororo, Amachuma, Banyamulenge, Talibans, Dallas
Muslim youth, Runyenjes Football club, Kaya Bombo youth, Sakina youth, Charo
Shutu, Kuzacha, Kamjeshi, Jeshi la Nazir and Kosovo boys.
Yesterday,
Wako said: "In law the said societies became unlawful, consequently,
criminal offences are committed by any person who manages or assists the
management of the said unlawful societies," said Wako.
"Any
person who is a member, or attends or allows a meeting of the said unlawful
societies, incites or assists such proscribed societies to engage in any
activity is committing an offence," he added.
In
a hard-hitting statement, Wako said it is duty of the police and other law
enforcement to prevent and detect crime.
He
said the police are supposed to apprehend the offenders where crime has been
committed and enforce the law.
"I
therefore call upon the police and other law enforcement officers to ensure
that they take timely and effective action when any of the unlawful societies
engage in activities of any kind".
Wako
said Kenyans have a constitutional right to support a candidate of their
choice and to hold peaceful demostrations. He, however, pointed out that it is
a criminal offence to abet a proscribed organisation.
"To
exercise these rights as members of an unlawful societies is to commit
offences for which they will be apprehended, tried, convicted and punished in
accordance with the law," he added.
In
a separate interview, Spokesman Peter Kimanthi said the police will
investigate the circumstances under which the demonstration took place and
those found guilty will be arrested and prosecuted. He said that Mayor Dick
Waweru applied for a notification from the police to hold a demonstration
which he was issued with, adding that if other groups hijacked it, the police
are yet to investigate.
Kimanthi
said that there are laws to be followed when people want to hold such
activities, in which case the Mayor met and was allowed to hold a
demonstration within the city.
He
said the mayor will be charged because him together with Mungiki leaders Ndura
Waruinge and Maina Njenga and others committed an offence contrary to law.
However, the Nairobi Provincial Police Officer (PPO) Stephen Kimenchu said the
police could not act because they were out-numbered by the demonstrators.
Elsewhere,
legislators William ole Ntimama and Shem Ochuodho condemned the demonstration
by Mungiki people, saying they made very dangerous threats, reports Ochieng'
Ogodo.
Ntimama
said it was a move in the wrong direction as inciting tribal animosity may
lead to a volatile situation that those who are masterminding may not be able
to control.
He
said Molo MP Kihika Kimani and Juja MP Stephen Ndichu were setting Kenyans
against one another and should be stopped as this may result in serious
lawlessness.
"Setting
Mungiki sect members against other Kenyans will affect the whole country. It
will boomerang to all corners of the country and every body will be
affected," Ntimama said.
Ochuodho
said the incident could be a prelude to the tribal clashes like those that
claimed the lives of hundreds, left scores maimed and displaced thousands
before the general elections of 1992 and 1997.
He
said Ndichu and Kihika should be interrogated thoroughly to unravel the
mystery behind Mungiki so that the thuggery its members have been committing
is not repeated.
The
Rangwe MP said the Mungiki youths "who looked like a ragtag army invaded
Nairobi and posed a serious security threat". "In any civilised
society you can not accept such a group to give dangerous threats with
impunity. It is also scaring away investors," he said.
However,
two Members of Parliament from Thika District yesterday came out in support of
the Mungiki march in support of Mr Uhuru Kenyatta, adds Eliud Miring'uh.
Gatanga
MP David Murathe and Ndichu said the sect members demonstrated a high degree
of discipline because they did not destroy property, or harass pedestrians and
motorists.
But
Kasarani MP Adolf Muchiri and his Embakasi counterpart, Mr David Mwenje, said
the demo was in bad taste because the Government has already banned the sect,
along with 17 others.
Speaking
at Parliament Buildings, Murathe said the Mungiki sect members have every
right to stage peaceful demonstrations in support of a presidential candidate
of their choice.
"There
was no bad incident like hooliganism, shop breaking, and looting. Nobody was
touched and this appears to have disappointed many people," said Murathe.
He denied claims the group was financed by the pro-Uhuru group to hold
demonstrations in the city streets, but defended their right to hold such
demonstration.
However,
Muchiri condemned the demo, claiming that it was a recipe for chaos. Mwenje
dismissed as unfounded threats by officials of Mungiki that they will ensure
that some MPs lose their seats during the forthcoming General Election.
And
former Law Society of Kenya (LSK) Chairman Gibson Kamau Kuria yesterday lauded
the police force for acting constitutionally in allowing the Mungiki sect
members demonstrate in the streets, writes Kurgat Marindany.
Kuria,
however, criticised the force for failing to disarm the sect members and by
enforcing the law in a discriminatory manner, contrary to the Constitution. He
said in a statement that the good news for Kenyans and political actors is
that on Tuesday the Constitution was applied correctly by the police, except
for the failure to disarm those who were armed.
Kuria
reiterated that demonstrations, placards, and speeches are different forms of
expressing views, as long as the methods adopted do not encourage force and
violence which may lead to conflict with authorities.
Kuria
argued that the police's mistakes are their inconsistencies and discriminatory
treatment of different political groups.
He
claimed that in view of the Mungiki sect banning in March this year, the only
reason why they were allowed to demonstrate was not because they were
observing the Constitution, "which they did, but rather because the Uhuru
candidature is supported by President Moi".
Editoral ("Daily Nation," August 21,
2002)
Yesterday's demo in
Nairobi by the Mungiki sect, ostensibly in support of President Moi and
political protégé Uhuru Kenyatta, only served to send the wrong signals to
Kenyans.
Hitherto a convenient
scapegoat for almost every national act of violence, this amorphous outfit has
caused the Establishment so much trouble that it has banned it. It is thus a
high level of cynicism for the authorities to allow such an organisation to take
over Nairobi's streets.
On March 8, Police
Commissioner Philemon Abong'o banned Mungiki and 17 other outfits, saying
they were security threats. That followed an incident in Nairobi's
Kariobangi area in which a gang slaughtered 23 people. This has been
followed by many police vows to crack down on the sect. But we have seen no
effort to do so.
The demo came in the
wake of highly inflammatory demagoguery, and plain war-mongering by MPs Kihika
Kimani and Steven Ndicho. On Saturday they promised to unleash mayhem - using Mungiki
- on anyone heard "insulting" the President.
Ironically, neither
Mr Kimani nor Mr Ndicho has ever been known to be particularly cosy with the
mysterious sect. This introduces a second lesson Kenyans should learn from the
demo.
The Government is
obviously using double standards and selective application of the law when it
comes to allowing politicians to hold meetings and say whatever they want and in
whatever language.
Two examples will
suffice. At the Saturday meeting, when the two MPs hurled vile epithets at
opponents of their favourite politicians and advocated violence, it was obvious
that they were breaking the law. Yet nothing has been done about it.
But when a day later
Ugenya MP James Orengo tried to hold a meeting at Oyugis, Rachuonyo District,
after fulfilling all the conditions, not only was it cancelled, he was also
hurled into police cells.
Does yesterday's
officially-sanctioned demo mean that Mungiki is now legitimate because
its aims now coincide with those of the power centre? Does it mean that if a
banned outfit reconstitutes itself for a "worthy" political cause,
then it ceases to be illegal? Does it mean that, as such an organisation
"protects" the President, it can do anything under the sun with
arrogant impunity?
This is abuse of
power. It is indefensible and a complete anachronism, especially in a sensitive
election year. All violent language must be punished whether from Mr Oloo Aringo
or Mr Stephen Ndicho. Otherwise, if the run-up to the elections degenerates into
uncontrollable violence, the Government will be the culprit
The Mungiki sect has been
involved in tribal violence
("BBC
News," August 20, 2002)
Several
thousand members of the banned Mungiki sect have held a demonstration in
support of Kenya's President Daniel arap Moi.
The
sect, drawn mainly from the Kikuyu ethnic group, marched through Nairobi
waving placards expressing solidarity with the president and his choice of
Uhuru Kenyatta as his successor to fight for the presidency in elections due
by the end of the year.
The
president has been criticised within the within the ruling Kanu party over
his endorsement of Mr Kenyatta.
Four other party leaders have put their names forward, including Vice
President George Saitoti and cabinet minister Raila Odinga. They want a more
open contest for the party leadership.
Tuesday's
demonstration, which started from the Racecourse roundabout, was led by the
sect's national chairman, Maina Njenga, and coordinator, Ibrahim Ndura
Waruinge, according to Kenyan television.
The
Mungiki sect has been banned since the government accused it of being a
criminal organisation intent on causing tribal divisions and violence.
In
the past, President Moi has made clear his dislike for the sect, calling it
un-Christian.
The
sect members say they are a religious organisation and are just trying to
promote traditional lifestyles and values based on Kikuyu culture.
Transport
wars
The
Mungiki sect first appeared in 1980 and its leaders now claim to have four
million members, mostly among jobless young people in Nairobi's slum areas.
One
leader, Ibrahim Ndura Wariunge, said in November 2001 that the movement had
been recruiting ex-policemen and soldiers.
The
placard-waving sect members intended to march from the Racecourse roundabout
to the mausoleum at the parliament building, where Uhuru Kenyatta's father
and Kenya's founding President, Jomo Kenyatta, is buried.
The
Kenyan riot police intercepted the marchers and directed them to Uhuru Park.
There
were no reports of violence according to BBC reporters in Nairobi.
In
the last 12 months the Mungiki sect has been involved in violent struggles
with ethnic Luo residents in poor areas of the Kenyan capital and with
people running private transport businesses.
In
March this year, the sect's followers fought with Luo vigilante groups in
Nairobi, leaving 20 people dead over a three week period.
In
November 2001, the sect tried to seize control of public transport terminals
in a number of the slums around the capital. At least 12 people were killed
in the violence that accompanied the take-over attempt.
The
sect has also clashed with the Kenyan authorities in the past over its
attempts to harass and beat up women who wear trousers and because of its
support for the Kikuyu traditional practice of female circumcision.
Church
Report Praises Some Mungiki Ideas
by
Patrick Mathangani ("The
Nation," July 29, 2002)
Some beliefs of the Mungiki (a banned sect) are good, a church report has
said.
The
positive aspects include the preaching of self-reliance, hard work and
independence among poor youth, the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK)
report says.
Releasing
the survey results yesterday, the NCCK director of programmes, Mr Sam Kabui,
said the sect's progressive ideas inculcated hope among the poor.
However,
Mr Kabui said the sect also had retrogressive beliefs which should be
condemned.
He
cited female circumcision and tobacco-sniffing.
Mr
Kabui said a survey on which the report was based showed that the Mungiki
advocated freedom of assembly, which has sometimes been denied by the
government.
"The
sect members believe they have the right to assemble anywhere in Kenya without
seeking authority from anyone," he said.
This,
he added, was a right that should not be denied any Kenyan.
The
report, titled Mungiki Movement in Kenya: Religio-Political Analyses, was
commissioned by the NCCK.
Mr
Kabui released it at the NCCK's fifth Central regional conference which ended
yesterday at the Mathari Pastoral Centre, Nyeri.
He
urged the government to conduct "proper investigations" to establish
what had led to the formation of the sect.
He
said Mungiki members had been dismissed and dealt with violently, adding that
such action would not solve the problem.
The
report, he said, took issue with the conversion of some Mungiki members to
Islam, terming it "a marriage of convenience to fight Christianity".
Mr
Kabui expressed concern over allegations that senior government officials were
funding Mungiki.
He
said even after more than 20 people were killed by sect members in Nairobi's
Kariobangi estate earlier this year, not "a single member" was
charged with the offence.
A
participant said sect members in Laikipia recently seized a government house
and converted it to a Kanu office but no one was arrested.
Mr
Kabui said there was "general apathy" in the country, adding that
matters were only investigated if there were "political stakes".
Police
Tell Mungiki: We're Ready for You
by
Joseph
Murimi And Evelyne Ogutu ("East African
Standard," July 07, 2002)
Security
has been beefed up in Kiambu District where followers of the unregistered
Mungiki sect have threatened to forcibly circumcise women today.
Central
Provincial Police Officer (PPO) Enock Cheserek yesterday said police are on
high alert to ensure no woman is hurt by the sect members.
The
PPO said tight security measures have been put in place to ensure that the
activities do not occur and assured the women in the district to go about
their business without fear.
He
said police have intercepted leaflets which are being circulated in the
district, where the sect members have threatened to invade girls' schools and
circumcise the female students on July 7.
An
unsigned leaflet, which the PPO availed to the Press, said the sect members
will invade churches, schools and even homes to conduct the "cleansing
ceremonies".
According
to the statement, the sect members threatened to circumcise all the Kikuyu
women in Kiambu aged between 18 and 40 years of age.
The
group alleged that they were sent by God in a dream, to 'cleanse' the Kikuyu
community from the social evils that had invaded the community.
They
attributed the rise HIV/Aids pandemic to women who are not circumcised, saying
they are more vulnerable to the disease.
They
further threatened to launch tougher campaign against those who are against
the activity saying they were a disgrace to the society.
They
threatened to start with Hon Beth Mugo, Martha Karua and one of the
Constitution of Kenya Review commissioner, Dr Wanjiku Kabira.
"They
are not mature hence they need to set a good example to the fellow women by
being circumcised," the statement read in part.
Chesereck,
said police officers have been sent to various girls schools in the district
to beef up the security adding that they have been instructed to deal
ruthlessly with any sect members they came across.
He
said the sect members had sent leaflets to many schools in the district and
lamented the activities of the sect in the province.
100 Sect Suspects Held in City Fracas
("The East African Standard," December 5, 2001)
Over one hundred Mungiki sect members and hawkers were arrested in the
city after three hours of running battles with the police.
Two people who were caught up in the melee were seriously injured.
Trouble started when a group of 50 sect members invaded a matatu
terminus at the busy Accra Road at around 11 am and announced they had taken over
management of a number of routes.
They said they had taken over all Dandora matatu routes that comprise
number 32, 42 and 45. Central Police Station officers accompanied by City
Council askaris ordered the Mungiki members to disperse but the adherents
instead drew daggers and pangas and threatened to fight the law enforcers.
Under the command of Central OCPD, Mr Sammy Maritim, police fired tear
gas canisters at the group. But instead of dispersing, the rioters were
joined by hawkers as they stoned the officers and their vehicles.
Maritim said his men and the City Council askaris arrested 100 suspects
and recovered 20 machetes.
15 Mungiki members arrested
by Nancy Khisa("The East African Standard," December 1, 2001)
Police yesterday arrested 15 Mungiki sect members in Nairobi's Eastlands
area as the crackdown on the outlawed group intensified.
Nairobi Provincial Police Officer, Mr Geoffrey Muathe, said that the Mungiki
adherents were arrested in Mathare area and Kayole where they had attempted
to take over the matatu termini.
Muathe also said that police had impounded two Nissan matatus which were
being used by the outlawed sect members to move around.
The Officer Commanding Buru Buru Police Division (OCPD), Mr Japhet Koome
said police on patrol within Kayole's Masimba and Kanisani matatu termini
arrested 10 Mungiki adherents who were among a group that was trying to take
over the stage management.
Koome said that police were on high alert within the area to ensure normal
operations for matatus.
In Mathare 4 area, police officers from Muthaiga police station intercepted
two Nissan matatus in which the Mungiki men were travelling in to the area
to interfere with matatu operations.
It's illegal for Mungiki and others to collect taxes
("Daily Nation," October 17, 2001)
Recent events in Dandora point to something gravely wrong. The conflict between the two
rival and barbaric groups of Mungiki and kamjesh, who have been fighting for control of matatu
terminals has already resulted in loss life and property.
Few could imagine that this would be the situation given the Transport Licensing
Board (TLB) chairman's tough talk about how he would root out the matatu cartels who
appoint themselves to lord it over the legitimate tax-paying matatu business community.
After collecting the levy due from every commercial vehicle, the TLB appears to have quietly
retreated and left the public and transport industry to their own devices.
Nothing has been done about the cartels.
Today, warring Mungiki and kamjesh groups kill one another in broad daylight, exposing
the public to untold insecurity and suffering. Many of us have therefore come to the conclusion
that the TLB is either an accomplice or unable to deal with the menace. It is emerging that TLB
has taken sides and supported the Mungiki group
Is the government aware that it is toying with a time bomb?
The peace missions attended by the Nairobi PC, security forces and politicians are self-defeatist.
How can they share a table with an illegitimate organisation?
Government and the City Council have failed to execute their duty of running transport
on the Dandora and to collect the necessary taxes and levies for national development. Allowing
other groups to collect taxes and levies from fellows citizens for personal use contravenes Kenyan
laws and is tantamount to the creation of a quasi-government.
It beats the logic of having legally registered associations like the Matatu Welfare Association.
Nigeria clashes erupt, several deaths reported-residents
ABUJA, Sept 8 (Reuters) - Bands of Muslim and Christian youths have killed
several people in an outbreak of religious violence in the central Nigerian
city of Jos, residents said on Saturday.
"We have heard of several people killed. I personally know some people have
been killed," a resident told Reuters by telephone.
"Shops are closed and sections of the town have been cut off by youths
manning road blocks," he said.
Authorities decreed a night curfew on the hilly tin mining city on Friday,
the day clashes erupted at the end of Muslim prayers and after churches and
mosques were set on fire. Police have not issued casualty figures.
Official sources said authorities in Plateau State, of which Jos is the
capital, had asked President Olusegun Obasanjo to send in the army to help
restore order. One source said soldiers had been mobilised in readiness to
help police who were struggling to contain the unrest.
Police kill Mungiki member
("Nation News," April 3, 2001)
Police have killed a Mungiki sect member in Maragwa.
The officers opened fire at a charging Mungiki crowd at the Githunguri
trading centre, where about 200 sect members were meeting on Sunday.
The police alleged that they were dispersing an unlicensed gathering.
Central provincial police boss Enock Cheserek said the members pelted the
police with stones. "Police shot in the air to disperse the charging crowd
and it was then that a stray bullet hit one of them, killing him," Mr
Cheserek explained.
The slain man has not been identified. The Mungiki crowd fled and the
officers allegedly recovered simis, rungus and pangas from the scene.
Mr Cheserek claimed that many at the meeting were from Nairobi.
Last year, a Mungiki sect meeting in Kiria-ini turned fatal when the crowd
charged at police officers and injured one of them.
The officer died later on while undergoing treatment at the Kiria-ini Mission
Hospital.
Mungiki Officials Call For A Truce
("The Nation," (Nairobi) February 6, 2001)
After a weekend of bloody clashes with police, the Mungiki sect yesterday
called for dialogue with the government and an end to violence.
Sect officials said yesterday they were tired of accusations of seeking to
violently overthrow the government and of the deaths, injuries and
destruction suffered in violent skirmishes with the police in the past.
They claimed three members were shot and several either injured or arrested
by riot police who confronted them in Thika and at Githurai, a suburb on the
northern edge of Nairobi.
Police on the other hand welcomed the apparent change of heart and confirmed
that three adherents were arrested during skirmishes at Githurai on Sunday.
"They are welcome (for dialogue)," said deputy police spokesman Dola Indidis,
"Hakuna mtu anataka vita (Nobody prefers violence)."
In the violence at Githurai, riot police faced off with hundreds of rampaging
sect followers returning from a baptism ceremony at a nearby dam.
Earlier, police sources at Kasarani said, the sect faithful had battled with
touts in the area.
"Several cars had their windscreens smashed at the roundabout before we moved
in," said the police source.
The sect coordinator, Mr. Ibrahim Ndura Waruinge accused the touts whom he
alleged were Kanu youths in disguise, of being criminals.
Mr. Waruinge alleged the touts operated an office in the area from where they
"torture residents in the name of ensuring security."
Several people on both sides-touts and Mungiki as well as passers-by were
injured in both confrontations.
Meanwhile the day before, police engaged hundreds of sect members in day-long
running battles in Thika Town.
Thika police boss, Mr. Peter Muthike said a mob estimated at a thousand had
congregated at Kiandutu slums in what he referred to as an ordination
ceremony.
Mr. Muthike said the sect members were ferried to the scene in three lorries
and a matatu.
The police lobbed teargas, baton charged the followers and fired in the air
to scare them as they kept regrouping to attack the police.
"Oathing" paraphernalia that included 10 gourds, 20 decorated (in Mungiki
colours) sticks, several flywhisks, cow horns were recovered from the sect
members, added Mr. Muthike.
He claimed the mob also attempted to torch a police post under construction
within the slums during the riots that occurred between 11am till evening.
Mr. Waruinge told the Nation yesterday, "The government is using our brothers
to attack us over allegations we are violent. It should be reconciliatory
rather than using guns on us."
He said their meetings often disrupted by riot police "are peaceful and
prayer sessions and not sinister as alleged."
Shot Mungiki member dies
by Stephen Muiruri and Bob Odalo ("Daily Nation," January 16, 2001)
A Mungiki sect member died of gunshot wounds yesterday.
Mr Jackson Kyalo Kilewe was shot by police as they foiled a bid by about 200
Mungiki followers to invade the Mwiki police post, Nairobi, on Sunday.
The raiders engaged the police in a three-hour battle after a prayer meeting
was dispersed.
The police opened fire when they were overpowered by the sect members, who
pelted the post with stones.
The dead man was among four people who were shot by police and admitted to
the Kenyatta National Hospital.
The Nairobi provincial police boss, Mr Geoffrey Muathe, said they were
holding five Mungiki members for interrogation.
Meanwhile, police have arrested four people and seized four loaded pistols in
Nairobi.
Two suspects were arrested in Parklands after they confronted Mr Bhimji Ranji
on his way to a temple.
Mr Muathe said officers on patrol shot one suspect in the leg and cornered
his accomplice as he attempted to flee.
Elsewhere, six gangsters seized a police officer attached to Nairobi's
Central Police Station and relieved him of a pistol yesterday.
The officer was walking to the station when the gangsters seized him on Tom
Mboya Street.
Meanwhile, the government yesterday withdrew an assault and incitement case
facing five alleged Mungiki sect members from a Nairobi court, only to charge
them with the same offences in Machakos town.
At the same time, the Mungiki sect leader, Mr Ibrahim Ndura Waruinge was
charged with two other people for organising an unlawful meeting in Nairobi
on Sunday.
The court heard that the meeting held at a Nairobi estate in which Mungiki
members allegedly overran a police post left one person dead and others
injured.
Lawyers Waithaka Mwangi and Kibe Mungai for Mr Waruinge termed the new
charges facing their clients as "fictitious".
Mr Soita will rule tomorrow on Mr Waruinge's and his co-accused's application
for bail.
The prosecution said the charges are very serious and opposed the release of
Mr Waruinge on bond.
In the previous Nairobi case, David Wakaba Chege, Nelson Githii, Stephen Oloo
and Herman Kungu who were charged with the same offence of attending unlawful
meeting and stripping women naked in Kayole estate in Nairobi for the second
time denied the charges before Senior Resident Magistrate Mr Samuel Soita.
They could not immediately raise the amount and were escorted to the Machakos
Prison.
Mr Waruinge, apart from allegedly organising the Sunday meeting, was also
accused of participating in an unlawful assembly at Waithaka estate in
Nairobi on January 7 and also assaulting a police officer on duty on the same
day.
But the prosecution, led by Insp James Ndunda, said Waruinge committed
Sunday's offence while still on bond from a previous crime and said he could
not be trusted to keep the peace if granted bail.
Mr Mwangi said the government could not be taken seriously on the case and
wondered why it had to wait until yesterday before arresting Mr Waruinge for
an offence committed on January 7 and on Sunday.
Mungiki
members censured
("Daily Nation,"
December 21, 2000)
The Mungiki sect has been
accused of having a hidden agenda and practising double standards. Muslim
leaders who converted the sect members to Islam should explain what guidelines
they had given them, Council of Imams and Preachers South Coast Chairman Amir
Banda said yesterday. Referring to last week's incident where Mungiki
coordinator Ndura Waruinge and 50 members had attended a church service before
being arrested, Sheikh Banda pointed out that Islam did not allow such double
standards. He was speaking in Mombasa. Sheikh Banda noted that if the Mungikis
are willing to join Islam, then they should portray a good name. The Council
chairman accompanied by Muslim Scholar sheikh Mohamed Sheikh warned that Muslims
will not allow a few people to play around with Islam pretending they were
converts. He asked the Mungiki's to preach Islam and not fool around by going to
mosque today and tomorrow to church. Sheikh Banda pointed out that Islam guided
everyone to be faithful and honest. The Chairman stressed the need of the
Mungiki converts to conduct themselves as devoted Muslims and stop trying to
indulge in petty and flimsy issues aimed at earning them cheap publicity. Sheikh
Banda said The Council of Imams was closely monitoring the activities of the
Mungikis countrywide and will issue a statement after investigations. He noted
that it was pointless for people to think they could use Islam as a ''hideout''
adding that Muslims were watching such people day and night.
Police on Mungiki alert
("Daily Nation-Kenya," December 12, 2000)
Embu police will counter a threat by Mungiki members to circumcise women
forcibly.
Police boss King'ori Mwangi said the sect had circulated leaflets in the
district, saying they would target all uncircumcised women in a "door-to-door
campaign".
He said his officers were on the alert and called on the public to be calm.
The leaflets said that the drive was supposed to start last month, but it had
been postponed indefinitely.
The papers said that after the circumcision, there would be recruitment of
new members into the sect, followed by a baptism ceremony.
The circumcision would start in Mbui-Njeru Village near Runyenjes Town and
then move to other parts of the district.
Immediately after we received information that they were coming we started
training our men on how to deal with them. I can assure you that their
mission here will not be accomplished," he said.
He appealed to members of public to inform the police once the Mungikis are
cited.
Mungiki Sect Members Torch Slum Village
Tervil Okoko ("Panafrican News," December 9, 2000)
Angry members of Kenya's controversial Mungiki sect Thursday raided
Kiang'ombe slums in Thika town, about 25 miles north of Nairobi, and burnt 11
houses to avenge the recent killing of their two colleagues.
The raid left ten families homeless and property worth over Ksh 150,000
(about 1898.7 US dollars) destroyed.
Last week, two Mungiki adherents were lynched by a mob for allegedly
attempting to rape two women in Kiang'ombe village.
Mungiki sect members have always found themselves on the wrong side of the
law leading to running battles with the police. They sniff raw tobacco,
preach female genital mutilation and are against the wearing of trousers by
women.
A Thika town resident, Simon Gicharu, was injured and had been hospitalised
following Thursday's raid.
Kiang'ombe slum is located near Kiandutu slums, where the two Mungiki
followers were lynched last week.
Following the raid on Kiang'ombe, Kiandutu slum residents have decided to
sleep outside their homes for fear of of being attacked at night by the
Mungiki sect members, who had earlier threatened reprisals.
The area's local police chief, Peter Muthike, said police are patrolling the
area round the clock.
According to the police, the Mungiki sect members had on Thursday used crude
weapons during their raid of Kiang'ombe slums.
One of the dwellers, Mercy Kamau, whose four-room house was arsoned, said the
group terrorised them before burning their houses.
"They were armed with pangas (machetes), clubs and metal rods. We feared they
might kill us if we raised the alarm. We fled as they petrol-bombed the
houses," Ms Margaret Wanjiru, 46, told PANA Saturday.
Muthike said that he had installed a mobile police station at Kiandutu slum
to patrol the area.
Kiang'ombe residents, however, believe the sect's members raided the slum
Thursday to draw people's attention away from Kiandutu, their main target.
Mungiki Sect Members Torch Slum Village
John Githongo ("The East African-Nairobi," November 15, 2000)
During the Emergency in the early 1950s, in Kenya's Central Province, groups
of men would knock on your front door in the dead of night. When the man of
the house asked, "Who is it?" "It is us," would come the reply, and everyone
immediately understood that a Mau Mau unit was at the door.
Today, some people argue that the name Mungiki taken by a controversial sect
whose members are mostly from the Gikuyu community, is derived from the words
muingiki - "we are the public," or, not to put too fine a point on it, "it
is us."
On the Kenyatta Day weekend, members of Mungiki tried to hold a prayer
meeting in Nairobi's Kayole Estate but were stopped by armed police. Enraged,
they proceeded to attack women in the area whom they deemed "improperly"
dressed because they were wearing trousers. Six women were stripped naked in
a frenzy recorded by press cameras. There was an immediate public outcry.
On the face of it, Mungiki is composed primarily of young Gikuyus on the
periphery of society, who have lost their stake in the status quo. They take
snuff, sport dreadlocks and pray facing Mount Kenya. Some advocate female
circumcision and other rituals that were last in vogue in the years before
independence. Their basic argument appears to be that the grand
Westernisation project has failed.
In their own inarticulate way, they advocate another way of life, another
value system, though some of the values they espouse in this day and age are
clearly disconcerting even to modern Gikuyus. Still, their crusade against
drunkenness, broken families and vices like prostitution resonates with many.
As a movement aimed at cultural and religious revival, Mungiki alarms few
beyond church leaders and fervent Christians. Among the Gikuyu, indeed, this
internal struggle between different value systems has been around since Mau
Mau.
In recent months, however, Mungiki has captured the attention of the country
because of their apparent penchant for challenging the state. They have even
stormed police stations to rescue locked up colleagues. Other than that,
their politics is presented as parochial, tribalist and generally aimed at
Gikuyu hegemony - the inarticulate, rabble-rousing voice of Gikuyu resentment
at their marginalisation from the political mainstream. As a movement,
Mungiki's actual membership, motives and structure are vague; to an extent,
these issues are being defined for it by the state's reaction to the sect.
The parochialism of Mungiki, their status in the minds of many powerful
people as the radical face of Gikuyu nationalism, is actually extremely
useful to a regime that has always defined itself in contrast to the idea of
Gikuyu hegemony. Mungiki represents the alarming "other."
Over the past few months, every time Mungiki have tried to hold one of their
"baptisms" or prayer meetings, the police have moved in to stop them almost
before they begin.
This is a clear indication of the extent to which they have been infiltrated
by the security services. Yet they have not been "neutralised" in the typical
security-service approach that would have seen the creation of
pseudo-Mungikis and the promotion of unseemly leadership wrangles over money
designed to delegitimise the organisation in the eyes of its supporters.
Perhaps powerful people would rather this did not happen because Mungiki
plays a useful political purpose.
At the beginning of August there was a Mungiki demonstration in the streets
of Nairobi against Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta. According to the press, they were even
able to pelt police headquarters and Harambee House with rotten eggs.
It struck many observers as odd that a group that cannot hold a prayer
meeting without violent police intervention was able to demonstrate in city
streets against a prominent supporter of the current government while the
police watched.
There is clearly more to Mungiki than meets the eye.
Why Won't the State Clip Them Dreadlocks?
John Githongo ("The East African-Nairobi," November 15, 2000)
During the Emergency in the early 1950s, in Kenya's Central Province, groups
of men would knock on your front door in the dead of night. When the man of
the house asked, "Who is it?" "It is us," would come the reply, and everyone
immediately understood that a Mau Mau unit was at the door.
Today, some people argue that the name Mungiki taken by a controversial sect
whose members are mostly from the Gikuyu community, is derived from the words
muingi ki - "we are the public," or, not to put too fine a point on it, "it
is us."
On the Kenyatta Day weekend, members of Mungiki tried to hold a prayer
meeting in Nairobi's Kayole Estate but were stopped by armed police. Enraged,
they proceeded to attack women in the area whom they deemed "improperly"
dressed because they were wearing trousers. Six women were stripped naked in
a frenzy recorded by press cameras. There was an immediate public outcry.
On the face of it, Mungiki is composed primarily of young Gikuyus on the
periphery of society, who have lost their stake in the status quo. They take
snuff, sport dreadlocks and pray facing Mount Kenya. Some advocate female
circumcision and other rituals that were last in vogue in the years before
independence. Their basic argument appears to be that the grand
Westernisation project has failed.
In their own inarticulate way, they advocate another way of life, another
value system, though some of the values they espouse in this day and age are
clearly disconcerting even to modern Gikuyus. Still, their crusade against
drunkenness, broken families and vices like prostitution resonates with many.
As a movement aimed at cultural and religious revival, Mungiki alarms few
beyond church leaders and fervent Christians. Among the Gikuyu, indeed, this
internal struggle between different value systems has been around since Mau
Mau.
In recent months, however, Mungiki has captured the attention of the country
because of their apparent penchant for challenging the state. They have even
stormed police stations to rescue locked up colleagues. Other than that,
their politics is presented as parochial, tribalist and generally aimed at
Gikuyu hegemony - the inarticulate, rabble-rousing voice of Gikuyu resentment
at their marginalisation from the political mainstream. As a movement,
Mungiki's actual membership, motives and structure are vague; to an extent,
these issues are being defined for it by the state's reaction to the sect.
The parochialism of Mungiki, their status in the minds of many powerful
people as the radical face of Gikuyu nationalism, is actually extremely
useful to a regime that has always defined itself in contrast to the idea of
Gikuyu hegemony. Mungiki represents the alarming "other."
Over the past few months, every time Mungiki have tried to hold one of their
"baptisms" or prayer meetings, the police have moved in to stop them almost
before they begin.
This is a clear indication of the extent to which they have been infiltrated
by the security services. Yet they have not been "neutralised" in the typical
security-service approach that would have seen the creation of
pseudo-Mungikis and the promotion of unseemly leadership wrangles over money
designed to delegitimise the organisation in the eyes of its supporters.
Perhaps powerful people would rather this did not happen because Mungiki
plays a useful political purpose.
At the beginning of August there was a Mungiki demonstration in the streets
of Nairobi against Mr. Uhuru Kenyatta. According to the press, they were even
able to pelt police headquarters and Harambee House with rotten eggs.
It struck many observers as odd that a group that cannot hold a prayer
meeting without violent police intervention was able to demonstrate in city
streets against a prominent supporter of the current government while the
police watched.
There is clearly more to Mungiki than meets the eye.
Fury At Attacks Against Women
("The Nation-Nairobi," October 24, 2000)
Various institutions and individuals yesterday strenuously condemned attacks
and harassment meted out on women by members of the Mungiki sect in Nairobi
at the weekend.
The sect members turned rowdy after police barred them from holding prayers
on the Kayole Estate on Sunday. They vented their anger on women passersby
dressed in trousers.
Yesterday, the National Convention Executive Council, the Federation of Women
Lawyers and the Kenya Women's Political Caucus condemned the thuggery as
shameful and shocking, and called for the arrest of those involved in the
attack.
The NCEC also condemned Mungiki's attacks against some sections of the
Christian Church and the Freemasons.
"Whereas the NCEC respects and defends the right of Mungiki and its voluntary
followers to practice their religion as they please, we also believe that our
society should neither accept nor tolerate the intrusion and abuse of the
rights, liberties and dignity of other Kenyans by any group, creed, religion
or cult," the group said in a statement signed by three officials.
The council asked Kenyans to reject acts of violence regardless of the
perpetrators.
"Mungiki or anybody else cannot arrogate to themselves the role of moral,
dress or cultural policemen," the statement said.
It added that African tradition respects and venerates women, contrary to the
view Mungiki is pushing.
The statement, signed by Kepta Ombati, Odhiambo Oyoko and Cyprian O'Nyamwamu,
asked Kenyans to reject all acts of violence "in their various
manifestations".
In a statement signed by Mrs Phoebe Asiyo, the Kenya Women's Political Caucus
described the Mungiki actions as dehumanising and a gross violation of the
women's human rights.
"We note with deep concern that the Mungiki sect has continuously engaged in
these primitive, barbaric and heinous activities with impunity, culminating
in this latest incident," said Mrs Asiyo.
The Caucus urged the Police Commissioner to intervene and ensure women are
protected from such "callous behaviour".
Fida demanded the immediate arrest and prosecution of those involved in the
assault.
"While members of Mungiki should enjoy the freedom of association, they must,
however, not be allowed to terrorise and impose their will on innocent
members of society," Fida executive director Jane Kiragu said.
Failure to arrest the suspects, Ms Kiragu said, would be to abet heinous acts
of violence.
The Mungiki group arrived in the Kayole area at about 5pm on Sunday, but
police attempted to disperse them. They overpowered the officers and started
stripping and beating the women.
Some women members of the sect were in the forefront of the attack.
What makes Mungiki tick?
by Murthui Mwai ("Daily Nation," October 23, 2000)
Singing traditional songs and occasionally snuffing tobacco, the group of
about 400 marches on "match boxes and petrol in hand. Ahead lies the
Freemasons building on Nyerere Road, Nairobi. "We will burn it down", they
chant. "It promotes devil worship."
A few weeks earlier, the object of their fury was the Muranga Police
Station... and before that the Nyahururu Station, where scores of sect
members were locked up for unlicensed assembly and, allegedly, conducting
illegal oaths.
When the sect is not making headlines for advocating female circumcision, it
is professing a mass conversion to Islam. No wonder Cabinet Minister Joseph
Kamotho recently urged the churches to help counter it.
Said Kamotho: "Time has come for the Church to condemn the practices of this
sect which is promoting outdated cultural beliefs."
Meet the Mungiki sect. It is purportedly a revolutionary group which "will
realise its goal in two years".
The recent merger of its members with Muslims, says national co-ordinator
Ibrahim Ndura Waruingi, "will hasten the realisation of this goal."
"Islam means submission to God, while Mungiki means the masses. In two years,
we will have converted Kenya or at least three quarters of it to Mungiki," he
says.
He adds that Mungiki has about four million members in the country and
hundreds of co-ordinating units from the national to the locational level.
"Our aim is to spearhead African socialism. We have a duty to mobilise and
bring economical, political and social changes in society so that the masses
can control their destiny."
Other goals are to fight against bad governance and social ills facing the
society and to establish a just nation.
Regarding the Freemasons building, Mr Waruingi earlier said: "It is only a
matter of time. The halls must go... they must be destroyed." This was a
declaration that infuriated security officials at a time Internal Security
Minister Marsden Madoka had told Parliament the Government would tame the
sect.
Question: Why doesn't Mungiki seek registration?
Answer: "We will never do that. We do not need to be registered by (this)
Government which only abets poverty, insecurity, killings and social
instability."
Mr Waruingi was reacting to Nairobi Provincial Commissioner Cyrus Maina's Moi
Day challenge that the sect seeks registration "if it is transparent and has
nothing to hide."
There are similarities between the pre-colonial Mau Mau Movement and Mungiki,
Mr Wairungi says.
"We (Mungiki) have Mau Mau blood in us and our objectives are similar. The
Mau Mau fought for land, freedom and religion... and so do we."
However, he says, the Mau Mau did not achieve their goals. "Kenya today is
controlled by the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Americans,
the British and the Freemasons. It can't initiate its own development and has
sold all its properties to Westerners in the name of liberalisation."
He describes pluralism as an American ideology which does not guarantee
African development. "It has only promoted tribalism, nepotism and
individualism, rather than socialism."
Mr Waruingi blames the present system for allegedly helping the spread of
Aids and devil worship in Kenya. He denies that his movement perpetrates
insecurity and administers illegal oaths.
Advocates of the materialist theory claim that revolutions are not created in
people's minds but out of adverse socio-economic conditions. And on this
basis, they argue, the Mau Mau liberation war was started in the early
Fifties by the Kenyan peasantry after it became disillusioned with the
colonial oppressors and the African elite, who were compromised by the
colonists.
Fifty years later, Kenya's history seems set to repeat itself. Mungiki "a
shadowy movement" has been organising itself quietly and systematically as
the Government downplays its threat.
Like the materialists, Mr Waruingi argues that the Mungiki was actually the
creation of the present social and economic crises in the country.
He says the Mau Mau took up arms only after the colonial government harassed
them and forced them into the bush.
"Nobody actually intends to fight but one does so after being provoked. The
more you persecute and oppress a people, the more you will turn them into
militants. The Government has contributed to the birth of Mungiki through its
high-handedness," he says.
Mr Waruingi said that after Mungiki was accused of forcibly circumcising
women and administering oaths, it invited the Government to its functions "to
prove that we have no intention of causing chaos."
But, he says, by declaring war on the Freemasons, some top religious figures
and Government officials started issuing threats to the movement.
"Why did an individual push the Kirima report on devil worship under the
table instead of making it public?" asks Waruingi.
"It is clear to us that the probe was ordered only to find out how many devil
worshippers' secrets had become laeked."
Waruingi accuses Mr Madoka of criminalising Mungiki and says that no woman
has gone to court to accuse the sect of forcibly circumcising her.
Question: Who are the real leaders of the sect?
Answer: "The movement was started by God. He is our chairman and decision
maker..."
Lately, Mungiki has demonstrated a fearlessness and militancy that alarm
other citizens and leaders.
Its raid on a police station in Murang'a recently was an ominous sign, as was
its fight with the police in Nyahururu a few months ago. Then, too, was the
beating of police officers in Kirinyaga and the numerous clashes with law
enforcers in Nairobi. If Mungiki members can snatch a gun from a police
officer in Murang'a, what can stop them from firing it to defend themselves?
Meanwhile, the Mungiki group has been credited with two positive things,
bringing order to matatu operations in Kasarani area, Nairobi, and being at
the forefront of the campaign for a people-driven constitution reform. At the
Kasarani area, no thefts have been reported since the sect members started
their operations. The group has flushed out several thugs and juveniles.
'Islam means submission to God, while Mungiki means the masses. In two years,
Kenyans will submit to our ideals...'