Murkomen links Nairobi CBD mugging cases to street children
By Faith Lagat, September 4, 2025Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has raised alarm over the increasing mugging cases in Nairobi’s Central Business District, attributing part of the problem to street children armed with knives.
Speaking on Thursday, September 4, 2025, Murkomen said, “Even these mugging issues, as I have told you, part of it is perpetrated by the so-called street children organising themselves in small groups with knives sometimes.”
His comments shed light on a growing trend where vulnerable youth are being exploited for criminal activities, creating significant challenges for urban security.
Murkomen’s remarks come amid ongoing police reforms and public safety initiatives aimed at curbing crime in Nairobi.
He emphasised that addressing such crimes is a daily responsibility for local police officers.
“I want to confirm to you that operation is ongoing; it is a continuous issue, and part of the conversation we are having is that nothing should wait for a national directive policy from CS or any other leader; that is a daily responsibility of the OCS unless it is a very unique challenge that has come, but things like theft and muggings are daily responsibilities of police officers within that area,” he stated.
Operational measures
Drawing from past successes, Murkomen referenced the resolution of the “panga boys” issue in Mombasa, which involved underage offenders.
“Operations are ongoing to address muggings and theft cases in counties; some of them are underage, but there is no excuse for that. Remember the panga boys in Mombasa, who were underage, but we resolved it,” he said.
The CS also highlighted the possibility of redeploying officers to bolster operational capacity, stating, “It’s the daily responsibility of the OCS to address these kinds of issues, but if there are operational weaknesses on the side of the police, we will redeploy to address the gaps.”