From left: Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, Coast Regional Police Boss Ali Nuno and Deputy Inspector General Eliud Lagat, during the official commissioning of the Mbaraki Police Station on March 12, 2025 in Mombasa County.
A series of criminal activities across the Coast region in the last few weeks have come as a case of baptism by fire for the new regional police commander, Ali Nuno.
It is barely two months since Mr Nuno took office from his predecessor George Sedah, who was named the new Nairobi regional police commander in a recent major reshuffle affecting top police bosses across the country.
Mr Nuno, who was promoted from the post of a police commander in Kwale County, assumed the regional office to a spate of lawlessness orchestrated by juvenile criminal gangs in Mombasa and Kwale Counties.
On March 13, a group of armed youths broke into a mini-market and several shops in Likoni Sub-County, Mombasa, stealing goods of unknown value.
Areas in Likoni that have been hit by the gang include Timbwani, Celtel, Sharks, Kwa Ndoro, and Punguvila, with at least four shops raided in less than two weeks, according to residents.
Residents further revealed that the gang is also engaging in extorting, with boda boda operators being required to part with Sh20 per day for them to operate in some areas.
Following these incidents, top security bosses led by Mr Nuno camped in Likoni on Monday, talking to youths about the dangers of crime.
"Crime does not pay and if you start engaging in criminal activities at an early age, then you will be spoiling your life. I’m ready to partner with you, I’m ready to work with you," said Mr Nuno.
The resurgence of these machete-wielding gangs was also witnessed in Msambweni, Kwale County where a youthful gang went on the rampage on Saturday, attacking people while stealing from several shops and unsuspecting Kenyans.
The gang also attacked a bar owner on Saturday afternoon, making away with alcohol, cigarettes, and other electronic equipment from a popular joint.
“They found me with some clients seated and immediately showed us their knives. After threatening us they got into the shop and took money from the cashier, bottles on the shelves, a television and music system putting all of them in sacks,” said the owner of the bar who did not want to be mentioned for security reasons.
This attack came amid rising tension in the area following a murder incident on Friday, where a 29-year-old man was stabbed to death by two assailants. The two were later arrested by police, but a group of locals took to the streets attempting to break into Diani Police Station to attack the suspects.
Areas most affected by the recent wave of crime in Kwale include Diani Markaz, Ibiza, and Kibundani.
Mr Nuno also visited the area issuing a stern warning to the perpetrators amid calls from residents to arrest members of the gang.
The police boss, praised within security circles as a no-nonsense officer against criminals after silencing hardcore gangs in Kayole where he once served as OCPD, has now asked the law enforcement officers to shape up or ship out.
Apart from Kayole, he had also served in Murang’a as the county police chief.
He hit the headlines in 2023 after the murder of two suspected gangsters during a police operation in Kigumo Sub-County. The two had been arrested, but later on found dead.
“Every day somebody is bleeding yet we have the County and the Sub-County police commanders here, what are you doing? Why are you here? If these boys have defeated you then you have no mandate being here. We must look for these boys,” Mr Nuno added.
After the Kwale incident, 24 suspects were arrested and in Likoni, police claimed that about 100 youths who had been engaging in criminal activities surrendered and vowed to refrain from crime.
However, such arrests have been common in the past but hardly ever make headway in the courts.
The regional police boss claimed that the courts often release criminal suspects, hence further promoting their activities in society.
"That is the biggest problem we are facing as the criminal justice system. You arrest a suspect today and avail him in court but he gets released the following day," he said.
In the past, Coast politicians blamed parents for only coming out whenever their children were arrested, demanding assistance for their release.
The leaders want parents to take a more proactive approach to instill discipline in their teenage children and ensure they are aware of their activities.
A recent case in point is an incident that occurred at the Makadara grounds in Mombasa two weeks ago when a gang engaged in stone-throwing and disrupted businesses which often run at night during Ramadhan.
Mombasa governor Abdulswamad Nassir then revealed that even though the youths were masquerading as street urchins, their families came out to plead for their release when they were arrested.
In Kwale, Governor Fatuma Achani dispelled the notion that juvenile gangs exist because of joblessness.
According to the governor, most of the criminals are teenagers of school-going age who cannot be legally employed.
“Let us take good care of our children and be aware of the company they keep. Someone aged between 13 to 16 years old cannot be employed, that would be child labour,” she said at a past event, urging parents to take advantage of bursaries to keep their children in school.
Two incidents of machete-wielding suspects being shot by police have so far been reported this year.
In Likoni, a 14-year-old Grade 9 student who was said to be a gang member was shot to death during a police operation in January.
Within the same month, a 24-year-old suspect was shot in the foot in the Kadongo area, Mombasa when police were pursuing criminals who had attacked two traders.
Apart from the juvenile gang, the regional police boss also has his hands full in maintaining calm in Lamu County which recently witnessed a raid by suspected members of the Al-Shabaab terror group.
After remaining calm for many months, more than 100 heavily armed militants invaded Mangai village inside the terror-prone Boni Forest on March 18, where they gathered locals at one place and lectured them for minutes before distributing dates to them.
Following the incident, more security officers were deployed to the affected areas and its environs to pursue the terrorists with the government assuring residents of their safety.
Reporting by Siago Cece, Kevin Mutai and Valentine Obara
