Sect Leader Set Free
Kenyan Court Releases Mungiki Leader
Maina Njenga, the leader of the outlawed Mungiki sect was set free on Friday (October 23, 2009) by a Nyeri court. According to Capitalfm News (October 23, 2009) Njenga was released after Kenya’s Attorney General entered a nolle prosequi in the case.
Sect Leader's Woes
Mr. Njenga was ealier this year released and rearrested minutes later by the police, who wanted to question him over the killings of 29 people in Chehe Village in Central Kenya. He has been in prison for the killings since April 29, 2009.
On its website, Reuters (April 29, 2009) reports that Njenga was in prison for possession of an illegal firearm and drugs back in April when he was rearrested. The sect leader has been in and out of court defending himself over the years for crimes his followers have been committing around Kenya.
The Mungiki sect is an outlawed gang that has been a thorn in the flesh for both the government and the ordinary people in Kenya. Sect members are feared for their modus operandi after the discovery of dismembered bodies across central Kenyan was attributed to the followers.
The Kenyan government has been working hard at dismantling the sect but so far it has not been successful. The sect operates like an organized crime gang with a well defined hierarchy and structure. They have also infiltrated the capital city Nairobi and major towns around Kenya, taxing citizens for services like security and transportation.
Origins of Mungiki Sect
According to Wikipedia Online Dictionary the Mungiki was originated in the late 1980s and its name can be translated in English to mean “A united people” or “multitude”. Initially, the sect was formed to protect the Kikuyus from attacks by the Maasai community over land disputes but over the years it has morphed into an organized criminal gang that causes terror.
The sect has over the years taken over public transport termini across major towns and the Kenyan capital, demanding fees from the operators. Those who fail to abide by the “mungiki code” have found themselves on the bad side of the sect, with many going missing only to be found dead by family members.
With the release of its leader, Kenyans will now wait and see if the group will ease on the killings it has been undertaking over his imprisonment. The sect is believed to have undertaken ritualistic killings in certain parts of the country. Dead bodies with missing parts have been surfacing with the sect taking credit over the murders.
For more on the story visit http://www.kbc.co.ke/story.asp?ID=60554 or http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSLS837147
Maina Njenga-Mungiki Leader
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