Gangs unleash violence in Mombasa County after police raid on mosques

Mombasa was yesterday reeling from a long night of murder and pillage by rampaging gangs that killed three men and injured five others in Kisauni on Monday night.

The attacks by gangs wielding black flags happened barely a few hours after a police crackdown on two mosques.

The violence inflamed fear and anxiety in a town smarting from Monday’s police raids on two mosques in Mombasa’s Majengo area where they recovered grenades and pistols.

It is not clear if the Monday night incidents were related but Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Marwa said “we are treating this (Kisauni) as ordinary crime by youth who have been hired” by local politicians he did not name as police announced 16 arrests.

Official authorities declined to confirm the casualties, with Mr Marwa promising to “give a statement on that matter later”.

Kisauni OCPD Richard Ngatia said “I do not wish to contradict the county commissioner” but The Standard independently confirmed the dead and injured on the scenes and in hospitals and mortuaries.

Five victims of the violence that began at around 7.30pm and paralysed the area on Monday night are receiving treatment at the Coast Provincial General Hospital (CPGH) and Sayidda Fatma Hospital in Kisauni constituency.

Authorities at the Coast General and Referral Hospital mortuary said they had received three bodies, which were brought in by police with deep cuts on Monday night.

Security officials who met at the Kisauni District offices yesterday also confirmed three killings, with Marwa saying the 16 suspects arrested were found with machetes and other crude weapons

When The Standard visited the hospital, George Owino was undergoing surgery after the rowdy youth slashed his abdomen, spilling out his intestines but doctors said his condition was stable.

SURVIVED ATTACK

“The bodies were brought in with deep cuts. One is undergoing surgery, two were treated and released while the other two are undergoing treatment,” said an official at the hospital.

Fanuel Masegani, a retired teacher at Mlaleo Primary School who survived the attacks, said a group of youths accosted him near his house before they slashed him with a machete on the head.

“They told me to recite some words and before I could talk I felt a panga on the back of my head,” Said Masegani.

“If I didn’t run, I would probably be dead by now,” said Masegani.

Those killed were identified Joshua Muteti, Zephania Ziro and Fadhili Juma Yuyu.

Muteti, 42 , a father of five children was returning from night prayer when he was attacked by the youths outside the Mtopanga post office near his residence. He was struck in front of his wife.

Fadhili Juma Yuyu, a jobless 36-year-old man was killed as he attempted to help a neighbour whose cell phone had been snatched by a gang that was terrorising residents.

Fadhili’s uncle Saidi Ramadhan said he was informed by Fadhili’s colleague that he had been stabbed and was being taken to hospital.

“We leave it all to God. He died helping a neighbour,” he said at an earlier media briefing at the offices of Haki Africa, a civil society group in Mombasa.

Fadhili’s body was removed from the CPGH mortuary by relatives at around midday yesterday and taken to Yeje village in Waa location, Matuga, Kwale County for burial.