Outlawed Mungiki Sect Kicked Out From Routes

Police have finally flushed out members of the outlawed Mungiki sect from the matatu termini in Nakuru town.

Normal operations at different termini have returned to normal after police managed to kick out the sect members.

A spot check by the East African Standard showed that Mungiki men who manned the stages were nowhere to be seen as matatu owners took charge.

Normal operations had resumed on Shabab, Free Area, London, Mwariki, Kiti and Maili sita routes.

At the Langalanga matatu terminus where frequent fights between touts and the Mungiki members have left scores injured, management was taken over by matatu owners.

The removal of the sect members comes in the wake of bloody confrontation between them and touts at different matatu stops in the town.

On New year's eve, two people sustained serious injuries when the public and the sect members engaged in a bloody fight in Lanet area.

Police who moved in swiftly to avert more bloodshed, arrested 18 members of the outlawed movement who were armed with crude weapons.

Mungiki followers were fighting over the control of a matatu route but members of the public decided to join in the fight that would have caused deaths and destruction of property.

The two injured people were rushed to Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital while the 18 suspects were whisked away by the police.

Yesterday, matatu owners thanked police for removing the Mungiki men from the terminus saying they were illegally collecting money from them.

Each matatu in all the routes in town pay Sh10 each to the Mungiki for a trip. The sect members took over the management purportedly to instil discipline.