Secret sect makes a comeback in Kenya

Nairobi, Kenya - The apparent resurgence of an outlawed violent cult among dreadlocked youths has alarmed authorities in Kenya, who suspect the group is trying to win legitimacy with the creation of a political party.

Mere mention of the Mungiki, a shadowy and secretive religious sect with alleged historical ties to the Mau Mau uprising in the 1950s, evokes fear in many Kenyans who see it as a criminal enterprise intent on fomenting chaos.

As the East African nation approaches a bitterly disputed referendum on a new constitution next month, Mungiki activities - believed to include ritual killings, car hijackings and extortion - have come under increasing scrutiny.

Last week, the sect is alleged to have capped a 15-year reign of terror along Kenya's roads and inside Nairobi's slums with the formation of the Kenya National Youth Alliance, according to police.

"The Mungiki are trying to conduct their operations under the disguise of the National Youth Alliance," national police spokesperson Jaspher Ombati said.

A senior alliance official, however, denied the group was affiliated to the Mungiki, maintaining the alliance had existed since 1992 and had more than 200 000 members.

"We don't have any connection whatsoever with the Mungiki," alliance Vice-Chairman Lawai Wanbare said. The police and public believe that the two groups are the same.

The Mungiki are said to practise their beliefs in a secret ceremony where they pledge lifelong allegiance to the group on pain of death.

According to a 2004 report in the Standard newspaper, a Mungiki militia has been training young men to be killers. Graduates are said to pass through a rite that involves ingesting human urine and umbilical cords.