Mungiki Striving For Legitimacy

Maina Njenga, a reformed leader of the banned Kikuyu criminal organisation, Mungiki, has announced he will seek a political seat amid fears the gang could be seeking legitimacy ahead of the 2012 general election. The conversion of Njenga to Christianity, like many former Mungiki, has been met with scepticism by some local commentators. With its links to the Party of National Unity, Mungiki were responsible for much of the anti-Luo violence following the disputed 2007 election. As such, it is unlikely that the group will manage to win any kind of political respectability, and any official alliance with the PNU is likely to raise tensions amongst the non-Kikuyu.

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