How Teenage gangs are terrorizing Nairobians using Facebook and WhatsApp

janet ndila

April 5, 2017 11:46 AM

A police officer tracking the gang disclosed that it has been difficult to apprehend the gangsters as they hide in the heart of slums, where it is hard to distinguish criminals from non-criminals.

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The recent killing of two young men in Eastleigh that left Kenyans in an uproar has unravelled how several dangerous gangs have been using Facebook and WhatsApp to terrorise residents of Nairobi.

The criminals, who operates in different areas around the capital, have a signature look despite where they are based.

A police officer trailing the young lads divulged to a local daily that: “they put heavy necklaces jewellery and have several conspicuous rings on their fingers, a certain design of caps, T-shirts and sagging skinny jeans. They prefer putting on two pairs of jeans trousers, to help them secure their firearms”.

In Eastleigh the dangerous teenagers go by the name Superpower, in Kayole they call themselves Gaza boys, The 40 brothers (City Centre), Usiku Sacco (Umoja), Msako Empire located in Huruma among others.

To seemingly display their confidence and mock police officers hunting them down, the gang post pictures on social media displaying bundles of money they have stolen.

The boys also use the online platforms to alert their comrades the location of undercover police officers donned in plain clothes.

Using WhatsApp and Facebook they post pictures of some of their colleagues who have been shot dead and send heroic messages such as RIP fallen soldier, You Only Live Once (YOLO) etc.

They also use the two platforms to raise burial funds for their fallen ‘soldiers’ and police bribes in case one of their own is arrested.

Some of the Facebook group linked to these gangsters include: Mauki Family, Postmore Empire, Doughty Family, Cosovo Family, Msako Empire, Usiku Sacco among others.

According to the police officer, the gang lure other teenagers into the criminal activities by showcasing their lavish lives on social media.

He disclosed that it has been difficult to apprehend the gang members as they hide in the heart of slums, where it is hard to distinguish criminals from non-criminals.

"It is hard for few officers to crack down on these gangs because they live at the heart of slums, where there are so many pistols in the wrong hands. You cannot even get there before you are shot. This one requires a massive disarmament operation involving several squads,” the officer was quoted by the Daily Nation.