Inside the deadly Mombasa gang

They are young, cruel and dangerous.

Armed with raw weapons, gang members in Mombasa have injured and killed many people, causing unrest among residents.

The gangs holding machetes have unleashed terror in various sub-districts in Mombasa, with Likoni and Kisauni being the most affected.

The Sunday Nation has made it into criminal gangs, with members revealing the terrible tactics they used in their assassination operations.

Salim (not his real name) is one of the leaders of Geta Gang, which consists of 20 gangsters whose operational base is in Likoni Sub-District.

Gang members are between 14 and 26 years old. Salim, 21, who is the second commander, has seen three of his members killed, but that has not stopped him from attacking innocent people.


"That is the only way we make money. We have to attack people so we can fight on our own, "said Salim, who joined the gang in 2013 after he started abusing drugs after losing his parents to HIV / AIDS.

ROBBING BIKE

Their operation, he said, began at their meeting point in Majengo Mapya, Likoni.

Here, they use drugs when planning attacks. School dropouts have been arrested five times but have never appeared in court.

"It is during this smoking activity that we plan and agree on which areas will be attacked on certain days. Those who will go for surgery are then chosen while others are left behind, "he said.



In some cases, they divided themselves into groups of five to carry out simultaneous attacks in various regions.

Their attack, dubbed "squeeze", involved robbing victims without having to harm them, unless they resisted.

"Sometimes we don't mean to hurt or kill, but circumstances force us to do it. Our aim is to get what we want and then leave, "he said.

In one example, Salim said, he was forced to slash a man they had robbed after he attacked one of his gang members.

He said in such a scenario, they had no choice but to save themselves. Salim said all the members were known to each other because they came from the same environment.

PROFITABLE BUSINESS

Kisauni's gang members are no different, with the majority dropping out of school.

A former new gang member known as Waliotengwa (who was separated), which intelligence sources revealed was behind the Bamburi attack, said they were attacking people to get money for buying drugs.

The source told the Sunday Nation that after robbing their victims, they used the money to party and meet other personal needs.

"The remaining cash we give to our parents. We have to provide for our family and we can only do it by giving money to our guardians, "he said.

Other gangs feared with bases in Kisauni are Wakali Kwanza and Wakali Wao.

The two gangs started as a soccer team before they ventured into what they considered "profitable", evil.

"Football doesn't pay in Kenya, that's why we started robbing people to make ends meet," said one gangster Wakali Wao.

USE OF MEDICINE

The membership of the two gangs consisted of youths aged between 16 and 25, whose main trading tools were knives as sharp as knives.

Like other gang members based in Likoni and Kisauni, these gangsters mainly carry out their operations while being full of drugs.

Some of their leaders have been killed by police and others who have been hanged by residents.

In the recent past, three other gangs have appeared in Likoni: Likoni Young Turks, Watalia and Wajukuu wa Bibi.

According to a study by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) released last year, there were more than 100 criminal gangs operating throughout the country despite a ban on such militia groups in 2016.

In Mombasa, gangs include Gaza, based in Likoni, Buffalo (Likoni), Home Boys (Old Town), Chafu za Down (Likoni), Family Gater (Likoni)