For the past two years, Gerald Osore, a carpenter in Kisimani, Nyali Constituency, Mombasa, has been conducting his business peacefully.
But he is now a worried man following the emergence of a Mungiki-like gang that has been terrorising residents in recent months.
The gang of more than five men, said to be armed with crude weapons and posing as members of the Community Policing Unit, have been extorting money from businesses and individuals in what they call protection fees.
Investigations by Nation.Africa have revealed that the gang targets residents of Kisimani and Bombolulu.
Narrating his encounter with the gang, Mr Osore said they came to his place of work last month and demanded that he accommodate another businessman on his premises.
He did not comply after the gang gave him instructions on how to run his business. He had been in this particular location for about a month after running other successful businesses in the area.
Investigations by Nation.Africa have revealed that the gang targets residents of Kisimani and Bombolulu.
Photo credit: Wachira Mwangi | Nation Media Group
"I declined to heed their demands and they assaulted me. They came in a group of six and told me that I would face their wrath and that I would no longer be able to do business in the area. I feel like I am not safe because they sent emissaries to warn me after I reported the matter to the police," Mr Osore said.
He added that he had been approached by people who told him that if he wanted to live and work in the area, he should learn to live by their rules.
"I saw this as a way of extorting money from me to provide security for my business, but I have a security guard who I trust," he added.
These complaints of harassment by the gang have been echoed in the drinking dens, where both revellers and traders have reported cases of extortion.
There have been a number of attacks on members of the public orchestrated by the gang, which is said to operate with the blessing of an elder who locals claim is a powerful figure with good connections to top security agencies in Mombasa.
Some locals also say they feel intimidated by the marauding gang, who allegedly collect between Sh100 and Sh200 from them every day.
A police report seen by Nation.Africa reveals some of the complaints made by locals against the gang, including physical assault, damage to property and theft.
Investigations by Nation.Africa have revealed that the gang targets residents of Kisimani and Bombolulu.
Photo credit: Wachira Mwangi | Nation Media Group
One of the victims, who reported his case, told officers how he was accosted by the gang at around 9pm on his way home in Maweni area.
He claims that the gang members, who were armed with crude weapons such as machetes, demanded Sh2,000.
The victim also claimed that despite reporting the matter to the police, no action was taken against the perpetrators.
Local authorities who spoke to Nation.Africa confirmed that they have been receiving reports of gangs wreaking havoc in the community, with the latest incident three days ago when a woman reported being beaten up by suspected gang members.
A senior police officer, who requested anonymity because he was not authorised to comment on the matter, said a manhunt had already been launched for a suspected criminal who had gone into hiding after getting wind that detectives were on his trail. He is believed to be part of the gang.
"The local authorities have not assisted me in any way. They seem to be supporting the elder. We have evidence of the elder and his gang assaulting my tenant," said another resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation.
Parts of Nyali, Kisauni and Likoni constituencies have been cited as criminal dens for years.
