Barely two weeks after the newly installed leader of the infamous Katombi gang was gunned down, the outfit was dealt the final blow Tuesday night after Fadhili Mgaza’s successor died in a hail of gunfire.
In a bid to camouflage from our hawk-eyed sleuths, the notorious outfit that has suffered heavy casualties in recent days had rebranded to ‘Yeyoye’ gang and promoted one thug only known as Jakande Kabede alias Kababa, as its de facto leader.
On a fateful night, two remnants of the gang had staged an attack at Bondeni in Mathare, and maimed innocent civilians who were walking home as they robbed them of their valuables at gunpoint.
Pangani-based sleuths who received a tip-off on the thugs’ activities rushed to the scene, on time to find the two who had cornered a middle-aged woman and were busy ransacking her handbag. The Corporal leading the operation ordered the two to surrender, but instead one of the thugs fired at him missing his left shoulder by inches.
What followed was a fierce exchange of fire, as the detectives responded to the thugs’ provocation with precision.
When the guns went silent, Kababa who had concealed his identity using a balaclava lay motionless on the ground, as his accomplice the only surviving member of the gang staged a narrow escape deep into the settlement’s dark alleys.
One Webley revolver with four rounds of ammunition was recovered from the thug.
Tuesday’s operation completely annihilated one of the city’s notorious criminal gangs, that had terrorized residents of Mathare, Pangani and Huruma estates.
As detectives work round the clock to rid the city of criminals and criminal gangs, members of the public are urged to continue partnering with police for their safety and security.