14 school children arrested after 15-year-old boy killed in Umoja, Nairobi

A total of 14 teenagers, among them 10 boys and 4 girls, have been arrested in connection with the rise of juvenile gangs in Umoja, Nairobi, following violent clashes that led to the death of a 15-year-old boy.

The minors, aged between 12 and 19, were apprehended in a targeted crackdown by Buruburu-based detectives and later arraigned at the Makadara Law Courts.

Police secured court orders to detain them as investigations continue into the murder of Joshua Kubiti, who succumbed to injuries at Radiant Hospital, Umoja, after a brutal confrontation captured in a viral social media video.

According to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the teenagers had organized themselves into rival gangs with names such as Chinje, Mbogi, Bad Bunny, and Silent. These groups have been linked to violent clashes, phone snatching, and theft in Umoja I, II, & III, Tena, Innercore, Kayole, Kariobangi, and surrounding estates.

Investigators noted that recruitment into the gangs often spikes during school holidays, exposing more young people into crime.

“A sustained crackdown against juvenile gangs and other criminal elements in Nairobi and across the country remains ongoing,” the DCI said in a statement issued on Wednesday.