Tensions are high in Diani, Kwale County, following a series of violent attacks by the notorious ‘Panga Boys’ gang, which has harmed citizens and looted their properties.
The gang, who purported to be a demonstration group condemning the murder of a 29-year-old man who had been stabbed, took advantage of the situation to attack the unaware inhabitants while stripping them of their property.
In a viral video, the group is shown breaking into a residential plot, holding machetes, and chasing occupants out of their homes.
The gang, which is not new to the region, is accused of assaulting and wounding many individuals who attempted to fight back.
They also injured a reporter from a local radio station.“I was coming back from work, unsuspecting of what was happening when I came to Diani, and on my way I bumped into a gang of six young men,” one of the victims narrated.
“On seeing me, one of them unleashed a machete, and while I was trying to run away, I fell, and he chopped off my ear.”
Residents said that some gang members wear masks to conceal their identity, while others do not.
“The boys raided my business and threatened my business attendant with a machete; they asked her to open the counter or else they would kill her,” another resident narrated.
The group, infamous for carrying machetes, is not new to the area; they have previously terrorised communities, particularly businesses, forcing owners to close them out of fear.
One of the area’s businesspeople is counting his losses after losing more than Ksh500,000 in a previous incident.
Furthermore, the gang blocked highways in the vicinity and looted drivers and passengers for hours, disrupting transportation.
Residents are begging for help since they are forced to close their businesses, cutting off their principal source of daily income.
The event raises concerns about the resurgence of gangs in the coastal area.In a strong crackdown, police captured numerous members of the gang when they attacked people on their way to Kongowea Market.
Authorities discovered weapons, including pangas and knives, that were thought to have been used in past attacks.
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