Last week, Kenyan police shot dead Clare Mwanik, a wanted female gang in Nairobi after months of munhunt.
By Njeri Kiman, editorial@alleastafrica.com
NAIROBI – The new trend has made it a great challenge in combating the increased crime wave in the capital city.
On Sunday, police shot a second female suspectedthugs identified as “Marsha Minaj.”
She was killed ina bloody police ambush alongsidea male counterpart in Kayole in the outskirts of Nairobi.
The two were shot in Patanisho after police were called and informed that a gang was having a party there. Only two weeks ago police shot and killed Claire Mwaniki alias CleaADiVtbz, dubbed Nairobi prettiest thugs.
She was buried two weeks ago in Muranga in a ceremony attended only by close relatives and few friends. Claire was also killed in a police shooting in Kayole.
Kayole OCPD Joseph Gichangi earlier on claimed Claire was the wife of a well-known robbery suspect known as Mwanii.
He lamented that the said that cases of women being recruited into criminal gangs are on the rise in the hood.
Police had warned her on several occasions to refrain from crime alongside her husband but she ignored the clarion call.
A man, believed to have been a police officer identified as Hessy on Facebook had in March warned the woman and others that the law would catch up with them, the Facebook user went on to recall a warning to Clare to stop carrying the gun for her husband.
Kenyans came to know of their death on Facebook when a person claiming to be a police officer posted the photos. The Details of the latest shooting were posted by ‘HessyWaKayole’, which included gory pictures of the suspect on a Facebook group called “Kayole Crime Free”.
He also posted photos of Recovered guns. The page is popular for since it carries photos taken at crime scenes in the area and is known to many locals.
In the recent raid, Police claimed to have recovered an automatic pistol, with five bullets, with serial numbers written in Arabic. There were also three bullets whose spent cartridges were also recovered. Nairobi police boss Japheth Koome said Minaj was a known accomplice of the male suspect, who he identified only as Karis.
Koome claimed Karis has been linked to a number of robberies in the area and was also a core member of Gaza together with the slain woman
“Minaj has been mentioned in a number of investigationshence it didn’t come as a surprise that she was with this wanted man.” He added.
Police said the entrance of women into crime was a new trend that was under investigation.
A total of nine criminal suspects have been killed over the weekend.
The Facebook accounts HessywaDandora, HessywaKayole, HessywaEastlando and HessywaHuruma also remain mysterious.
Koome issued an alert that many criminal gangs have female members.
Besides Gaza, gangs in the city include Superpower (Eastleigh), Brothers (City Centre), Usiku Sacco (Umoja), Msako Empire (Huruma), Jeshi la Embaa (Embakasi), Munyipi (Mathare) and Kosovo Boys (Kosovo).
He added that the womenwere used to ferry guns, gather information while some even take part in robberies.
“They are even used to taking food to the male suspect in hiding,” Koome added.
Koome pointed out that the involvement of females in crime is a challenge to the security as officers are not allowed to search handbags.
“We are employing some other strategies, which I will not divulge as they will jeopardize our operation,” he said. The two ladies, believed to have been the masterminds of many of the gang killings in the city were believed to have been close friends.
On social media the two had circulated photos posing together indicating they were friends or accomplices.
Leonard Muchai, a resident of kayole claims that the high unemployment rate has pushed many of the youth into the gangs.
“Many do not have a stable source of income and hence are involved in either drug trafficking, armed robbery or prostitution. There is need to create a sustainable way of living for them,” he added.
Kevin Omondi however feels that not enough is being done to empower the youth in kayole.
“The government seems to have given up on them. Hence they can only resort to killing them and hoping that the next generation will be a better one,” he quipped.
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