Eldoret, Kenya - POLICE officers in Eldoret yesterday arrested a suspect believed to be the ring leader of the outlawed Mungiki sect whose followers have been terrorising matatu crews in the area.
Confirming the arrest, the Uasin Gishu officer commanding police division (OCPD) Apollo Onyonyi said the suspect was arrested in Langas estate in an ongoing security operation targeting members of the sect.
The suspect was arrested following police raids on their hideouts in various estates in the town.
Police said 30 more suspected members of the group have been arrested, bringing the total number of those in custody to 46.
People believed to be members of the illegal group who were armed with crude weapons had on Monday attacked matatu crews plying various routes within Eldoret and its environs.
A conductor of one of the matatus plying the route between the town and Huruma estate sustained serious head injuries, after he was slashed with a panga.David Wesonga was rushed to the Moi Referral Hospital Eldoret for treatment, where two other matatu crew members were also admitted following injuries sustained from the attacks.
On Tuesday, the OCPD led a high-powered security team to flush out the suspects from their hideout at Kipkaren estate, an operation which saw them recover an AK-47 assault rifle.
Onyonyi said the police also recovered assorted crude weapons, over 100 rounds of ammunition, military uniforms, bolt cutters, bows and arrows.
He said all the suspects arrested are being held at the Eldoret police station, adding that they were assisting police investigations into their activities in the area.
Onyonyi said the police suspected theHe confirmed that security personnel comprising regular and administration police officers had been deployed on a 24-hour basis to crack down on the group.
Elsewhere, police in Samburu district have arrested a suspect believed to be the leader of a group behind the raids in the area.
Area senior district officer 1, Aden Harakhe, said the suspect was arrested at Maiya trading centre and was being held at Maralal police station, awaiting prosecution.
The DO also said that the suspect was working with a non governmental organisation (NGO), Christian Children Fund (CCF) in Maralal.