Police Flag 7 Nairobi Estates Riddled With Teens Gangs as 14 Arrested

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has flagged seven estates in Nairobi as hotspots for the radicalisation of teenagers into joining criminal gangs.
In a statement on Tuesday August 27, theDCI identified Umoja I, II and III, as well as Tena, Innercore, Kariobangi and Kayole, as the estates most affected by the increase in teenage gang activity.
This announcement followed the killing of a 15-year-old who died from injuries sustained in a gang-related attack.
Since the teenager’s death, the DCI has confirmed the arrest of 14 teenagers in connection with the murder. The suspects, aged between 12 and 19, were arrested in a targeted police operation led by detectives from Buruburu.
“Preliminary investigations have established that the boys, aged between 12 and 19, have formed rival groups under names such asChinje, Mbogi, Bad Bunny, and Silent, among others,” DCI said in a statement.
DCI added that the teenagers were responsible for a wave of petty crimes and violent confrontations across the mentioned estates, with recruitment of more teenagers mostly taking place during school holidays.
Among the petty crimes which have been reported in different estates in the Eastlands area, according to DCI, include phone snatching, muggings, and assaults.
The 14 arrested suspects have since been arraigned at the Makadara Law Courts, where detectives secured custodial orders to detain them further as investigations continue.
The killing of the teenager, identified as Joshua Kubiti, occurred on the weekend of August 24. In the wake of his death, a video went viral on social media showing teenage boys issuing threats and seemingly taunting a rival gang.
A separate video showed teenagers roaming a Nairobi estate, bearing crude weapons and gloating about their potential to wreak havoc.
Community leaders condemned the 15-year-old’s killing and held emergency meetings to address the rise of youth gang activity while calling for intervention from law enforcement to curb the influence of these gangs.
As a mitigation measure, one of the estates in theEmbakasi West area issued a curfew,stating that no child should be found loitering the streets past 6:00pm.
“From today, no child should be found loitering past 6:00 PM. Parents must take responsibility. A group of more than five children without supervision will attract legal action,” read part of the community notice circulated via WhatsApp groups.