‘Mungiki Cannot Even Kill A Fly,’ Maina Njenga Refutes Claims Of Violence Linked To The Sect
Maina Njenga, a former commander of the Mungiki, has denied accusations that the banned sect was responsible for orchestrating violence and attacks in the Mt. Kenya region and throughout the nation.
Wednesday night on Citizen TV’s JKLive Show, Njenga refuted claims that Mungiki was a living disaster for Central Kenyans, arguing that the residents were merely victims of police provocation.
The individual presented a positive portrayal of the sect about the recent anti-government demonstrations, contending that any observed violence was a reaction to the frustration of the police.
“I don’t think that Mungiki was very violent, it was the police. Like in the case of Maandamano, if the police would not come to disrupt Maandamano, you would not have chaos. Even in those days, it was the police causing chaos every time then blamed it on the common mwananchi,” he stated.
“When you hear things happening in Mt. Kenya, it was not the youth who were doing those things, it was the government of that day…like the disappearance of the people, harassment, the youth (Mungiki) are very harmless people who cannot even kill a fly.”
Njenga refuted allegations that Mungiki gang members had purportedly engaged in extortion, murder, or the milking of people’s cows, stating that no such cases had ever been reported to the authorities.
“Those were propagandas, I have heard people say that people used to milk people’s cows. But it is the Chiefs and even the villagers who would be telling people…not senior people talking about those things…how many cases have been reported to the police stations?” He posed.
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Njenga reaffirmed that “Mungiki” translates to “many people” in the Kikuyu dialect and further stated that the group was founded with altruistic intentions. President Daniel Moi, at the time, had even authorized the reorganization of the matatu industry by the organization.
He conceded that while the group may have committed a few infractions of the law, they accomplished more good and ought to be exonerated of the atrocities they committed.
“Mungiki will be a history read for many years to come…Those youths helped people to secure places in Molo, Naivasha, and all those areas,” Njenga noted.
“When you are fighting each other, anything can happen. You don’t blame them, you forgive them for what they did…I don’t deny they did bad things but they also did good things.”
He added: “We had authority from the then president Daniel Moi that we should organize the matatu industry, provide them with the driver, the conductors …so that there could be order. We were not actually demanding money from them. There was an agreement that we should take a certain amount of money which is for our own upkeep and the other is for the owner.”
‘Mungiki Cannot Even Kill A Fly,’ Maina Njenga Refutes Claims Of Violence Linked To The Sect
