Monday, April 14, 2008

I should title this ... and here we go again!

Just to please you all after our joyous little occassion of festivities yesterday after the naming of the extremely large cabinet of over 100 ministers (with 40 ministries and god knows how many assistants for each), and now with a heavy head I'm afraid this is what we've woken up with today ......


Dear Friends:

Following the skirmishes that were reported this morning, this is the current security update as at 1130 hrs from KK Security:

Situation in Nairobi
Runda / Ruaka / Ndenderu – The situation has normalized and public transport has resumed.

Thika Road – Police have the situation under control. Public transport has resumed. A security crackdown is underway in Mathare North.

Kikuyu – Transit goods trucks have blocked the road out of Kikuyu leading to traffic blockages. The trucks had their tyres deflated at Gitaru. Police are working to clear the road. Public transport has been disrupted. There are reports of roadblocks at Feed the Children Junction and at Dagoretti.

Kariobangi / Dandora / Juja Rd area – The area is a hot-bed of Mungiki activities and there have been reports of vehicles burnt. Police patrols have been intensified and there are reports of a security operation against Mungiki in the area.

Githurai / Zimmermann / Kahawa West – In the morning, the roads had been blocked. There was gunfire as police cleared the road. The situation has normalized and there are police roadblocks. Public transport has resumed.

Enterprise Rd – There were running battles between the Police and the Mungiki in the morning and there were gunshots heard, so far the situation has calmed down as it’s a game of hide and seek.


Situation across other Towns

At least 10 suspected Mungiki have been gunned down by police across Nairobi, Central and Rift Valley provinces. Nine have been killed by police, two by Mungiki.

  • In Makadara a man was hacked to death overnight.
  • In Kariobangi estate two suspects burning cars were shot dead.
  • On Kirinyaga road, another suspect was killed
  • In Eldoret, two suspects have been shot dead.
  • Naivasha recorded one death. Another was killed on the Nairobi-Nakuru road.
  • Two suspects were killed in both Ruiru and Murang’a.
  • Thirty vehicles and a petrol station were set ablaze in Embakasi.
  • In Nakuru, two vehicles were set ablaze in Bahati by Mungiki who barricaded the Nakuru-Nyahururu road.

Cause of Disturbances
Mungiki are reported to be protesting against the killing of jailed sect leader Maina Njenga’s wife and his driver last week. The protests are also to pressurize the government to release the sect leader from prison. This morning, a group calling itself the Kenya National Youth Alliance claimed responsibility for the disturbances.



More reports to follow as they come

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hoorah for KK (vested interest there which I'll tell you about some other time).

Urg - the Mungiki scare me. But how often do you go into that end of town?

aims said...

oh no!! Please - if it has to be - let it be shortlived with few lives lost.

Anonymous said...

Please if you can, can you give us a little info on the IDP’s?

I fear that the next time that I come to Kenya, I won’t even recognize it.

Also what exactly is the government doing about the looming global food shortage? !!!


I guess I should even stop calling it looming. Egyptians have already rioted and people in Haiti are eating cookies made out of dirt!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Its not a question of whether you go go to named areas or not. Where they not in Runda?
The executed Mugiki woman was being driven around in a Rav 4 bought by extortion money! With a driver paid for by the same. A thief is just a thief. It does not matter if he or she has employed more thieves to steal on his behalf. They invented executions. So by executions must they die.
Her people should be glad that her body was still intact when it was found despite a few cuts. Don't they chop off their victims heads, legs and arms and skin the faces?
"operation Mugiki" is on.

Anonymous said...

Well, well, they came out to revenge the killing of the mungiki first lady!!!!! actually, I never knew mungiki also felt pain...eeh!!! I was surprised to see them shed tears when that woman was killed. So thugs also can cry me a River?

Anonymous said...

High walls and armed guards outside our houses can only give very little protection. We live in the same country with these mugiki guys so where I live, go or don't go is not an issue. They are not confined to one place and can get anyone whenever they want.
Unemployment should be addressed as a matter of urgency.

Baba W 'n' M said...

I wonder what happened to our Intelligence (it pains me to use that word) Services. The Mungiki started their business at 2.00am in all their strongholds at once. How this was not anticipated, I really wonder. I think we need to bring in the same chaps dealing with the militia in Mt. Elgon to deal with these guys.
The Mungiki are an amorphous organisation in terms of membership. Your neighbour in the leafy suburbs could be a member with his set of "soldiers" who go out and extort and maim so he / she can buy their next 4x4.

Mzungu Chick said...

Nuttycow - the Mungiki are everywhere right now and certainly not confined to slums or dodgy estates.

Aims - sadly the Mungiki have been around for years but yes lets hope they get it under control quickly.

Anon - IDP's still number around 200,000. They are being helped right now mainly through Ngo's and aid money. Some are even planting their land during the day and going back into the camps at night because of security issues. Kenya is still a beautiful country and very recognisable. As for food shortages, it is something Kenyans have had to deal with since time began sadly and this year will be harder although no exception really.

Anon 2 - "Operation Mugiki" is most definitely on and how ..

Anon 3 - Apparently thugs just want revenge and that is their plan now and the police have no control over it at all it seems.

Anon 4 - I agree

Baba W&M - They are in full force right now and I think our security (I cannot face the 'Intelligence' word at all!), has been seriously caught short this time round.

Expat mum said...

Does it all make you a little stressed or do you just get used to it?

Sukuma Kenya said...

Great. I can't wait to get back home to Kenya...

Mzungu Chick said...

Expatmum - Most definitely STRESS is a word at the top of my agenda right now, quickly followed by DEPRESSION

Sukuma Kenya - Don't rush, it's not pretty ....