NCIC chairperson Samwel Kobia addresses the press on January 23, 2025. PHOTO/XThe National Cohesion and Integration Commission has said it is conducting an in-depth study on organised criminal gangs that have regrouped in the recent past.
NCI said there has been a significant rise in gang-related activities, ranging from extortion and armed robberies to violent attacks on residents and businesses.
The groups, NCIC said, are increasingly active in various counties across the country including Nairobi, Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru and Kiambu.
The commission said the resurgence of criminal gangs is a threat to the social fabric of the country as criminals target idle youth for recruitment in a much more sophisticated manner.
NCIC warned that the situation is further exacerbated by the involvement of such gangs in cyber crimes and illicit activities such as drug trafficking and smuggling, which stoke violence and destabilise communities.
"The resurgence of these gangs poses a serious threat to public safety, hindering efforts to achieve peace, security, and socio-economic progress in affected regions,'' NCI said in a statement on Thursday.
Addressing the media, NCIC chairperson Samwel Kobia said if allowed to take root, these gangs will be incredibly difficult to dismantle, endangering the nation’s stability.
"We must act decisively now to prevent our country from following the path of countries in some parts of the world where criminal gangs have gained such a stronghold that they control daily life, rendering governance nearly impossible,'' Kobia said.
"It is imperative that we nip this problem in the bud. Otherwise, the evolution of organized criminal gangs could lead to what a study by the UN terms state capture, which is just one step to becoming a criminalised state."
NCI said that the research is premised on its Transgenerational Conversations Framework, designed to confront the emerging issues jeopardising peaceful coexistence across all generations in Kenya.
"The goal is clear: to prevent political decay and safeguard the moral, social, political, and economic integrity of our country. We are committed to taking decisive action and restoring hope for a unified and prosperous future,'' NCI said.
In the run-up to the 2022 general elections, NCIC undertook a conflict hotspot mapping study whose findings indicated a resurgence of organised criminal gangs, which had become a serious concern.
The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) is mandated to facilitate and promote equality of opportunity, good relations, harmony and peaceful coexistence of different ethnic, racial and religious communities in Kenya.