As Nakuru readies itself for the bustle of the December festivities, a chilling wave of violence is sweeping through its estates, rekindling fears of the return of the once-dreaded Confirm gang.
On Monday, two people were killed in separate attacks in what is suspected to be a retaliatory operation by the gang in Kwa Rhonda and Flamingo estates, in a gang-style execution.
Rodgers Marucha, 25, was stabbed multiple times by people known to him before they dumped his body in the Sewage area at Kwa Rhonda.
A portrait of Rodgers Maruche who was murdered in cold blood by suspected gang members in Nakuru City on December 2, 2025.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
A few kilometres away, the gang stormed the house of Henry Ongae, 18, in Flamingo Estate and attempted to abduct him, but he raised the alarm.
For many residents, their deaths have deepened anxiety in estates already grappling with a spike in night-time muggings, stabbings and retaliatory gang clashes.
It revives trauma from years when the Confirm gang dominated the city’s low-income neighbourhoods, running extortion rings, phone-scamming operations, drug networks and violent groups.
Between 2018 and 2022, Confirm operated almost unchecked, recruiting teenagers and young adults, some as young as 13, into a cycle of crime marked by territorial feuds and ritualized violence.
At the height of it, police linked the gang to murders, robberies, sexual assaults, cybercrime and a wave of disappearances in Kivumbini, Lake View, Rhonda, Flamingo and Kaptembwa.
The then Kasarani Deputy County Police Commander Peter Mwanzo was promoted and installed as the Nakuru County Commander after a public outcry that followed the murders, which drew the attention of the country’s top security chiefs.
Peter Mwanzo, former Nakuru County Police commander. He took over as Nakuru police boss at a time when organised gangs were terrorising and killing people in the County
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
Mwanzo was deployed to Nakuru on June 29, 2022, by the then Interior Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Fred Matiang’i, during a delegation of security chiefs in a high-level meeting where a raft of measures was outlined.
Mr Mwanzo's first task was to ensure sanity returned to estates such as Mawanga, Rhonda, Kivumbini and Flamingo, which had experienced unrest from criminal gangs among them the notorious Confirm gang.
Currently, tension remains high in Kwa Rhonda, with shopkeepers closing earlier than usual and boda boda operators avoiding certain routes after dark.
Despite police stating that they have launched investigations, residents say the attackers were not ordinary criminals. Their precision and swiftness, they argue, mirrors the modus operandi of the dreaded Confirm gang.
“We have been seeing new faces grouping in corners, young boys walking around armed with knives, and sudden attacks that are too coordinated to be random. This is how Confirm first started. We know the pattern. We are in fear they may be back,” said a resident in Kwa Rhonda.
Nakuru’s low-income estates have some of the highest rates of joblessness among young men, making them vulnerable to gang recruitment, especially before the festive season when criminal activity peaks.
Injured people gather to protect themselves against attacks by members of the notorious Confirm gang in Bondeni, Nakuru city on May 11, 2022.
Photo credit: Cheboite Kigen I Nation Media Group
Cheap alcohol and drugs are widely available, creating a conducive environment for gangs to operate. Many teenagers seek belonging in groups that promise protection, status and easy money.
Another resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the once vibrant Nyumba Kumi initiative has collapsed in many estates due to fear of retaliation.
“We just pray that the wave passes. We do not want bloodshed. We have been enjoying our peace. Nyumba Kumi officials fear speaking out as they will be marked as targets and later attacked,” she said.
Historically, December experiences a spike in violent crime in Nakuru. Many attribute this to increased cash circulation, nightlife activities and the presence of revellers who become easy targets.
However, despite growing public fear, police are urging caution, saying it is premature to link the killings to a resurgence of Confirm.
Nakuru County Police Commander Emmanuel Opuru said the cases were under investigation to establish the reason behind the two deaths.
Davin Maruche narrates how her brother Rodgers Maruche was murdered in cold blood by suspected members of the notorious Confirm gang in Nakuru's Kwa Rhoda estate on December 2, 2025.
Photo credit: Boniface Mwangi | Nation Media Group
“We are treating these as isolated incidents, for now investigating to establish whether the two cases were related,” he said.
A 2025 survey by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics places Nakuru at number four after Nairobi, Kiambu and Meru.
The report shows that the highest incidents of crime in 2024 were recorded in the capital Nairobi, which had 9,717 cases.
The report, however, paints a grim picture of rising crime in Nakuru since 2020.
Although there was a slight drop last year from 5,072 to 4,664, Nakuru still appears to be under the grip of criminal gangs.
According to the report, the largest increase in crime in 2025 was recorded in Narok County.
In 2023, the reported crimes in Narok were 1,483, rising to 1,991 in 2025, an increase of 508.
Migori County recorded the second-highest increase in reported crime (1,938 to 2,388), an increase of 450.
Kisumu was ranked third (2,380 to 2,822, an increase of 442).
In Kilifi, crimes reported to police in 2024 increased by 383.
Other counties with significant increases in reported crimes were Marsabit (261), Nandi (197), West Pokot (189), Turkana (155), Kericho (120), Bomet (95) and Tharaka-Nithi (82).
Increased crimes were also reported in Kitui (66), Mandera (44), Elgeyo Marakwet (21) and Mombasa (18).
“The total number of crimes reported decreased by 3.5 per cent to 101,220 in 2024. There was a general decrease in all crimes reported to the police, except for criminal damages, offences involving police officers and other penal code offences,” reads the report.
