“Kosovo Boys” the “Taliban” Kenya’s many machete-wielding ethnic gangs

The Mungiki are just one of Kenya’s many machete-wielding ethnic gangs—some of which sport names like the “Kosovo Boys” or the “Taliban” (an entirely Christian gang that apparently just thought the name sounded tough). But in recent years, the Mungiki, whose name means “multitude” in the Kikuyu language, have become a political force. Most recently, they played a central role in the violence and chaos that wracked Kenya for months before and after its last presidential election. Seven months before the December vote, severed heads began appearing mounted on poles in Nairobi, marking the worst of a spike in Mungiki violence that analysts attribute to rising distrust between gang leaders and Kikuyu politicians. Kenyan police responded to the violent outbreaks by arresting or killing many gang members. But after the hotly contested election on Dec. 27, in which Mwai Kibaki, the Kikuyu incumbent, claimed a dubious win over challenger Raila Odinga, the Mungiki reemerged in full force, brutally killing women and children from rival, pro-opposition ethnic groups. For now, Kenya is at peace after Kibaki and Odinga agreed upon a power-sharing deal. But if instability returns, the Mungiki could help throw the country back into a sea of violence.