HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 150939,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/150939/?format=api",
"text_counter": 249,
"type": "other",
"speaker_name": "",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "on members of the public in the greater Kirinyaga District as follows: Initial fee for operating matatus, Kshs10,000; initial fee for operating motor cycles, Kshs5,000; initial fee for operating taxis, Kshs5,000. In addition, there were daily collections on matatus, buses and motor cycles at the rate of Kshs100, Kshs500 and Kshs50, respectively. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, early this year, the criminal gang members came out openly and intensified and diversified extortion in all socio-economic sectors of the community. They moved into the rural areas and started levying illegal charges as follows: Permanent houses, Kshs500; timber houses, Kshs200, mud houses, Kshs50. In addition, cattle owners were forced to pay Kshs20 per cow and 5 per cent on litres of milk obtained. Dowry was also levied at 5 per cent of the amount paid. Further to the illegal levying, the criminal gang engaged in the following activities: Abduction of young girls for immoral purposes, forced female genital mutilation on women and girls, kidnapping and demanding ransom, introduction of kangaroo courts, use of M-Pesa to receive extortion fee from the matatus, compel owners of Public Service Vehicles (PSV) to employ members of the gang as drivers and conductors, force men to leave their houses to allow the members of the gang to engage in sexual acts with their wives, and force parents to surrender their daughters to gang members for immoral purposes. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, the criminal gang is still here, inflicting their bizarre oathing process with thorough beatings and eating of human flesh. Those who continue to defy their demands are subsequently beheaded. Consequently, the local people numbering 2,000 simultaneously moved from village to village flushing out suspected Mungiki members and burning their houses. Unfortunately, in the ensuing violence, this incident left 15 suspected Mungiki members dead while 11 others died later. Also, 55 houses were burnt. The police arrested 7 suspects in connection with the killings and investigations are ongoing. In addition, the District Security Intelligence Committee in Kirinyaga has held several barazas to prevail upon the people not to take the law into their hands but hand over the criminals to the police. On 20th April, 2009 at about 3.00 p.m., the exogeneous anti- Mungiki groups from Kirinyaga moved to Mathira on motorbikes in pursuit of Mungiki gang members who had fled from Kirinyaga. The group was intercepted by the police and dispersed. It is at this juncture that the Mungiki adherents organized themselves and launched retaliatory attack on Chiruihu and Gataithi villages, killing 29 innocent people on Tuesday, 21st April, 2009 at around 2.00 a.m. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, the activities of the illegal gangs have far reaching ramifications on the affected communities. In the first place, the economic activities of the affected areas have been adversely affected. Secondly, the education sector has not been spared and impact has been detected in the poor enrolment, particularly of boys in primary and secondary schools which has gone down to 40 per cent because Mungiki is recruiting students in secondary schools and also in some primary schools. I would like to inform the hon. Members that the Government is committed to addressing the challenge posed by the Mungiki menace and other criminal gangs in the country. In that respect, the Government has put in place the following measures: We have deployed more security officers in the area, that is, 150 Administration Police (AP) from the Rapid Deployment Unit and 71 General Service Unit (GSU). We have also enhanced targeted security, staffing and equipment, especially transport, including"
}