Githurai Kia Ngoma area tastes peace after renaming the estate Salama

Some abandoned buildings without doors, windows and roofs missing are conspicuous when you visit Salama estate in Gatundu town, Kiambu County. Unlike other parts of town, the estate is sluggishly making a comeback - rising like a phoenix. Initially, it was called Githurai Kia Ngoma (a place of evil or satan) and a den for chang'aa, crime and drug peddlers years back.

Though it neighbours Gatundu Police Station, police officers then were unable to get in and thwart the crime. The estate in the Ng'enda location was a no-go zone. It was in the hands of a murderous gang that maimed at the slightest provocation. "They mugged, stabbed and slashed residents with pangas in daylight. They killed people yet the police were unable to crush them. It was a heartless gang," Robert Muriuki, a trader, recalls.

They chased away the building owners and ran the small estate like a small lawless kingdom. "They are largely to blame for the slow growth of Gatundu town. Investors left in a huff to develop other areas. Though the order was restored, many investors are unwilling to come back and finish their buildings" Beatrice Wairimu, a resident said.

When a crackdown was mounted, the gang was ousted but through bloodshed. Retired Kiambu Principal Chief Joseph Njiraini (pictured) was the area chief when crime there drew the attention of top leadership.

 Principal Chief Joseph Njiraini.

Njiraini who spearheaded the war against the gang and drug peddlers there escaped death but one of his assistant chiefs was killed. According to Njiraini, the sale of chang'aa there started in the 1970s. Women sourced it from the popular Githurai.

"The one from Githurai was reportedly potent. Drinkers preferred it and over time they nicknamed the estate Githurai and later the phrase Kia Ngoma was added when it became a den of crimes," he revealed.

Around 2007, the chang'aa business had spread wide and the peddlers hired gangs to protect them, prompting a serious onslaught. When crime was tamed in 2015 and the estate renamed Salama, dozens had died and others fled. Njiraini was attacked by a gang, leaving him nursing a gunshot injury on his chest and a big dent in his head.

He was awarded The Head of State and later The Order of the Grand Warrior by then-President Uhuru Kenyatta for his war against drugs, illicit brews and criminal gangs. Retired Senior Assistant Chief Jacinta Wairuri recalls how the female peddlers hid bhang in their innerwear.

Normalcy has resumed in Salama but redevelopment is slow even after investors recovered their properties. It has five churches but remains a reminder to residents of how a small gang nearly tore down their town.