Taliban (gang)

The Taliban is a Kenyan criminal organization that has no connection to the Afghan Taliban other than its name. They belong to the Luo tribe.^[1] and feel allegiance to Luo leader and multiple Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga.^[2][3] Their leader is Joash Oluande, a born-again Christian.^[4] They recruit primarily from Mathare, Huruma, Baba Dogo, Kariobangi North and Kariobangi South quarters, slums of Nairobi.Their main opponents are the Mungiki of the Kikuyu tribe.^[4]

The Taliban emerged as an offshoot of the Baghdad Boys, the original grouping that was the Luo tribes' response to the Mungiki. The Baghdad Boys of Kisumu emerged in the early 1990s around the time of the Gulf War, which gives inference to the choice of name.^[3] They were frequently used as a militia in Kenya's first general elections after the introduction of the multiparty system,[6] in 1992 and 1997.^[5] The group, most recently active in the Nairobi slums of Mathare and Ruaraka,^[6] later broke up into several factions, with Taliban being the largest and most influential. Other splinter groups include ChinaSquadNyalenda Base, Chief Squad, Nyamasaria Massive, Kenda Kenda, Kondele Baghdad for Peace, Karamojong Boys, Saba Saba, Artur Margaryan, Kebago, and American Marines.^[7]

The Taliban split from the Baghdad Boys in about 2001 in the Eastlands slums in Nairobi because Luos felt increasingly exploited and threatened by Mungikis.^[8] The name Taliban is a Luo allusion to the way people in Afghanistan resisted American occupation by throwing stones. This is a commonality, as Luo men like to fight using stones as weapons.^[9]

The Taliban began as kamjeshi. In the Kenyan youth language Sheng, this term refers to groups of young men who provide security at bus stops and public transportation for a fee. The Taliban had political affiliations from the beginning, but their political ties and ethnic profile became more apparent in their dispute with Mungiki over control of transportation routes.^[10]

As early as 2002, the Taliban, along with the Mungiki, were banned by the police after a battle for supremacy over public transport protection fees (Matatus),^[8] by 300 members of both gangs, in the Nairobi slum of Kariobangi, left 21 youths from both sides dead by axes and machetes.^[5]

In 2006, massive conflict between the Mungiki and Taliban erupted again when the Mungiki tried to collect a higher levy on Changaa in a slum,^[11] an area in which the Taliban are also active.^[12] The brewers and distillers called on the Taliban for help, and excesses of violence ensued,^[11][13] in which the Taliban were also supported by the Baghdad Boys, Sakina youth, and Dallas youth.^[8]

In 2007, the confrontation between the two groups took on more political dimensions as the Taliban were allied with Raila Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement and Mungiki were affiliated with Mwai Kibaki's Party of National Unity.^[8]

In the 2007 general election, the Taliban acted as a vigilante group against Kikuyu ethnic cleansing,^[14] in which 1,500 people were murdered,^[15] including 20 people beheaded by the Mungiki.^[5] Ultimately, however, the goal for the Taliban was to take over Mungiki areas in Mathare. For example, they were able to take over illegal Changaa breweries in Bodeni, formerly Munigik territory.^[10]

Also in the 2017/2018 election period, clashes between supporters of the two camps and the police resulted in between 1,000 and 1,500 deaths.[19][20]^[16][17] A similar, albeit weakened, picture emerged in the August 2022 presidential elections.^[15][18][19]

The Taliban's main sources of income are changaa trading, protection rackets, especially with public transport operators, specifically matatus,^[1][20] selling stolen electricity,^[4] mobilizing people to attend political rallies, settling disputes, providing water, armed robbery, drug trafficking, vehicle theft and trafficking, kidnapping for ransom, money laundering, theft of antiques, livestock theft, money collection for landlords,^[21] fees for toilet use,^[22] control of municipal dumps,^[23] and informal security services.^[24] Women are employed for espionage and storage of stolen loot, drug trafficking, and sexual services.^[21]

The Taliban form alliances with gangs ( People's Liberation Army and the Group of 41^[20]) of the Kalendjin tribe,^[12] which includes President Wiliam Ruto, who was elected in 2022.

The Taliban see themselves as serving the Luo people, administering justice and protecting them in the event of Mungiki attacks.^[8][12] They are notorious for their public executions, in which the guilty is stoned until he can no longer walk and then burned alive.^[4]

Taliban weapons include slingshots and machetes.^[20]