26 Oct 2007: ISS Today: The Intrigues of the Mungiki in Kenya
26 October 2007: The Intrigues of the Mungiki in Kenya
In the first half of this year, local, regional and international media reported sensational stories relating to the outlawed Mungiki sect in Kenya. The detailed accounts in those reports gave the impression that there is plenty of information available about the Mungiki. However the information available in fact leaves far more questions than answers. Is the Mungiki vigilante by nature or an organized criminal group? Has the severe crackdown by the Kenya Police exterminated the group or have they simply retreated, awaiting a ripe moment to resurface? The intrigues of the Mungiki appear to be far over.
On one hand, the security forces of Kenya and the general public are in broad agreement Mungiki sect exists. This belief is based on activities that took place earlier this year which have been associated with the sect: beheadings and the dismembering of murder victims, deadly confrontations with the police, and ritualised oath taking. On the other hand, another school of thought holds that the group does not exist because it lacks in the standard definition and identification of an organized group. For example, most organized groups have a logo and a clear leadership of a known number of followers.
In a recent Public Inquiry on Security held in Kenya under the auspices of the government’s watchdog, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), several witnesses mentioned the Mungiki. The witnesses stated that they or members of their family were mistaken for Mungiki followers by police and suffered in police custody as a result. These witnesses would not, however, confirm or deny the existence of the group. Clearly their hesitation could be interpreted as fear of reprisals from the Mungiki member. During the public inquiry, none of the witnesses confirmed that they knew a Mungiki follower.
According to an unnamed Nairobi-based expert on the Mungiki, the group is strongly committed to traditional African values. According to the expert the group practices oath-taking as an important aspect of the group’s identity. He emphasized that oaths played an important role in bringing people together in African Traditional Religion. The expert also argued that the Mungiki could be understood, from one perspective, as a criminal or vigilante group. On the other hand, he observed that the group has been associated with some degree of political ambition.
In the second half of the year, criminal activities associated with the Mungiki appear to have been curtailed, perhaps as a result of the force applied by the police in the crack down on the sect members. Relative peace seems to have been restored in some of the most affected areas, including Nairobi and parts of Central and Rift Valley provinces. At the same time, however, the police have been accused of applying excessive force, including extra-judicial executions. It is claimed that the police force initiated hit squads specifically to deal with Mungiki sect criminals. The police have countered that the deaths concerned could be the result of actions by an as yet unidentified vigilante or criminal gang.
In the middle of all this is the general public who are left in a situation of threatening insecurity. Their involvement through community-based policing in partnership with the police and other security agencies may be the only means of safeguarding safer communities from the grassroots to the national level. As Kenya faces a very competitive campaign period ahead of the next general election, it is critical that the citizens of Kenya be able to count on the security agencies and state machinery for effective and just security provision.
Augusta Muchai, Senior Researcher: Arms Management Programme, ISS Nairobi
