Alarm as 126 Criminal Gangs Identified in Nairobi After Intelligence Mapping

At least 126 organised criminal gangs are currently operating within Nairobi, authorities have revealed, following an extensive intelligence-led mapping exercise aimed at dismantling insecurity networks in the capital.

Nairobi Regional Commissioner Gilbert Kitiyo said security agencies uncovered the gangs through a targeted programme focusing on organised crime and emerging security threats across the city.

Speaking on Radio Generation, Kitiyo said authorities have already moved beyond intelligence gathering and are now actively enforcing the law, with arrests ongoing in various parts of Nairobi.

“When it comes to organised crime, these are criminals who use all manner of tricks and ways to reach out to people,” Kitiyo said.

“In Nairobi we have recorded almost 126 criminal gangs using various names.”

According to the regional commissioner, the gangs operate within clearly defined zones and rely on structured leadership, communication channels, and social spaces to recruit members and coordinate criminal activities.

He said security agencies have conducted detailed profiling of each group, identifying their leaders, areas of operation, and methods of activity.

“What we normally do is very clear mapping where we identify those groups and even gang leaders, their telephone numbers, where they operate and how they operate, and then we take care of them,” Kitiyo said.

The intelligence-led mapping exercise forms part of a broader government crackdown that authorities launched on October 15 under the Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) on insecurity and organised crime.

Kitiyo said the programme targets quick, measurable results by deploying coordinated, multi-agency operations against criminal networks.

“On October 15 this year, we launched a programme called RRI on insecurity and organised crime,” he said.

“We did the mapping to understand these groups and that’s how we came up with the 126 groups.”

Following the intelligence phase, security operations have shifted to targeted enforcement, focusing on individual gang members and their leaders.

“Now we are targeting individuals and so many of them have been arrested, and we continue arresting them even now,” Kitiyo said.

Beyond arrests, Kitiyo said the RRI approach also targets the environments that enable organised crime to thrive within communities.

“With that RRI, there are a number of things we were focusing on including criminal gangs, cartels, illicit brew dens,” he said, noting that many gang members “hang around there.”

Authorities have also identified pool tables and informal entertainment joints as common gathering points where criminal elements plan activities and recruit young people into gangs.

As a result, security teams have intensified patrols, inspections, and crackdowns in these locations as part of the wider operation.

Kitiyo said the ongoing efforts aim to restore public safety, dismantle organised crime networks, and discourage young people from joining criminal gangs.

He urged Nairobi residents to cooperate with law enforcement by sharing information and reporting suspicious activities, stressing that community support remains critical to sustaining the gains achieved under the RRI programme.

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