The mchele menace: Inside the dark world of Nairobi bars drink-spiking gangs

A drunk man at a bar. (Courtesy/istockphoto) A Chadian national is the latest victim of drugging. The man fell victim following a night of merry-making at a club in Nairobi. The foreigner met Consolata Nyangai, who later drugged him when they retired to his residence at Spring Gardens Apartments in Kileleshwa on November 16, 2024. The woman allegedly stole USD 4,000 (Sh516,000), Sh10,000, a Samsung S20, and a Corn C105 phone from the house. After the incident was reported, Consolata was traced to Kasarani. Inside her house, police found a newly bought TV worth Sh107,000 and a Sh55,000 cooker. "Further investigation uncovered two national identity cards, one Kenyan and one Ugandan, both bearing different names but the same photograph of Consolata Nyangai, raising serious questions about her true identity, which is still under investigation," stated the DCI on their X handle. The DCI went on to warn revelers to be vigilant, particularly in drinking joints, as spiking of drinks is likely to rise during the festive season. Even as police issue the caution, mchele gangs are on the prowl. One such notorious gang comprises young men and women aged between 19 and 26, who are said to be highly effective. 27-member gang The 27-member gang, based in Kayole, is under the command of a woman commonly known as either "Brown Lady" or "Washiko." Their modus operandi is to drug and steal anything that can be turned into cash. To understand this criminal enterprise, which has left many robbed and some hospitalised, I spoke with Shamira Awino, also known as Sassy, a 23-year-old woman recently released from Lang'ata Prison. Shamira became involved in the illegal activity at the age of 15 after failing to continue her education. Growing up in a family of five siblings and raised by a single mother, Shamira was introduced to Washiko through a friend who had worked with the group for some time. "She told me her boss was looking for women ready to make money quickly," Shamira recalls, adding that, given the financial difficulties she was experiencing, the teenager in her could not resist the offer. "My mother was a street vendor, but the profits she made weren't enough to support us," Shamira said. She was introduced to "Queen Mother," a name used exclusively by her employees to disguise the nature of the business. "I met her, and to my surprise, I saw other girls who were even younger than me. During her orientation, we were taken through what the job entailed, our roles, and were promised a 50 per cent share of the spoils," recounts Shamira. The new recruits were exposed to different types of drugs-ranging from the most potent to mild ones-and shown how to administer them discreetly. Despite some mistakes that almost raised suspicion, Shamira's first assignment was a success. Facade of innocence "When I got there, I was initially denied entry because of my age, but my team convinced the bouncer, and I was let in. It seemed like they were well-known there," she says. Though she appeared innocent, Shamira admitted she quickly identified a man who seemed willing to support her. However, remembering the oath she had taken, she decided to drug him and take whatever she could. "He invited me to his table, genuinely wanting to help. He asked how I ended up at the club at such a young age. Playing it smart and with a mission in mind, I tricked him into trusting me," Shamira reveals. Although she initially panicked, dropping the drug, the girl waited until her target went to the restroom. She seized the opportunity to spike his drink. "I was lucky," sighs Shamira, adding: "He sipped the beer quickly and then asked me to accompany him to his car. Little did he know he was walking right into my plan." Feeling nervous, she called in her backup team. "They responded immediately and helped me take everything we could lay our hands on: two phones, a laptop, and money. We left him with just his boxers and his car keys," narrates Shamira. For over seven months, Shamira maintained the facade of innocence in various clubs, targeting and robbing revelers. However, her luck ran out when she was caught in the act. Betrayal "I was trying to spike a drink in what seemed like another easy target, but this time, it turned out he was a DCI officer on a mission. He pretended to be drunk and dozed off. When I tried to drug his drink, he suddenly lifted his head and grabbed my hand," Shamira recalls. This act landed her a sentence of seven months in prison or a cash bail of Sh50,000-an amount she was unable to raise. Shamira ended up spending months in prison, as Lady Brown, her boss, abandoned her immediately after she got caught. "What hurts me most is the betrayal. Immediately she was informed of my arrest, she called me and told me to either shut my mouth or my family would face consequences," she says. Shamira, who endured the punishment, thanks God for giving her a second chance in life. "I served my sentence, and upon being released, I promised myself never to return to her," she says. According to the reformed criminal, two accomplices have lost their lives, and others are cooling their heels in prison, yet it is business as usual for Brown Lady-she does not bother whenever her recruits are in trouble. A friend warned her that anyone arrested and later freed disappeared mysteriously, making Shamira concerned about her safety. To protect herself, she ended up marrying a gang leader who was also the head of the male team. "She feared him not only because of his violent nature, but also because he was a key figure in the underworld. Unfortunately, he was eventually killed by a rival gang member," she says. Following her husband's death, Shamira turned her life around, found faith, and embraced a new path. "I changed my life and got saved," she says. Fallouts Jane Nyarambi, another notorious mchele dealer, decided to form her own gang after falling out with Brown Lady. She worked under Brown Lady for three years but severed ties over what she termed inadequate pay, not worth the risks she faced spiking revelers' drinks. "She let me down twice. Not only did she take the lion's share, but she also exploited the girls, paying them pittances. Personally, I was caught once and almost killed by a mob on Thika Road, and she didn't care at all. She didn't even help pay for my treatment," Jane recalls. After recovering, she decided to start her own criminal ring to carry out the same activities. When reached for comment, an initially reluctant Brown Lady claimed she was simply assisting the girls to eke out a living. "Many of these girls come from vulnerable families where parents rely on them to provide. If I offer them a way to earn an income, what's wrong with that?" said Brown Lady, adding that everything she owns had been "earned through hard work." "I have never forced anyone to work for me. Actually, they are the ones who approach me with requests to be recruited," she claimed. When questioned whether she was involved in drugging patrons, the woman declined to respond, demanding evidence. Joseph Mwangi, also known as Mwas, shared how he narrowly escaped death while working as a security guard. Now a boda boda rider, Mwas recounted a violent incident in which he was beaten and left for dead after attempting to intervene when one of the women he was with was attacked over allegations of drink-spiking. "We were on Thika Road when one of the revelers raised an alarm after seeing our lady drop something into a drink, which was suspected to be mchele," Mwas recalls. He added: "He stood up, grabbed the glass, and that's when the confrontation started. I stepped in to protect her, and that's when the crowd turned on me." With scars all over his body from the attack, Mwas remembers waking up in hospital with a broken arm and a swollen mouth with broken teeth. Upon recovery, he quit the security job. Exercise caution Johnson Onyango, a victim of drugging, picked up a man disguised as a woman at a nightclub and ended up losing Sh8,000, mobile phones, a pair of shoes, and other valuables totalling around Sh145,000. The data analyst later learnt that the person he took home was a man after police tracked down and arrested the suspect, identified as Evans Willis Ouma. Victor Oduor, another victim of drugging, also narrated how a woman approached his table and placed her drinks near him. She had friends around, pretended to be wealthy, and appeared sophisticated. "She had a wallet full of dollars and looked classy, had keys for a Mercedes-Benz and a Samsung S9. She bought beers for the whole table and asked me to keep her wallet. She bought the same beer I was drinking, and as soon as I made a move, she exchanged the bottles. "When I came back, I took a few sips. Later, I found myself drugged-my phone gone, my laptop gone. I just wondered how she knew where I had left my car. I woke up in hospital and spent about two days there before I was discharged," narrated Oduor. He made a police report and discovered that similar cases were being reported in most bars. "It is really happening. It is a gang of beautiful ladies doing their thing in bars and stealing whatever they can," says Oduor. Peter Njeru, a club owner, says such incidents are tricky for bar managers. "The best we can do is intervene at the CCTV level to provide footage. People who have the courage to do such things are usually strangers who hit a bar and disappear for some time," he observed. He urged revelers to be cautious as even those who seem sophisticated can turn out to be scammers.

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