KENYA, IS MAINA NJENGA OF MUNGIKI ANYMORE SAFE?

Sect leader’s kin stopped from prison visits

Published on June 18, 2008, 12:00 am

By Cyrus Ombati

The family of jailed Mungiki leader Maina Njenga now claims his life is in danger after they were denied permission to visit him.

The family said authorities at the Naivasha Maximum Security Prison informed them that they were acting on orders not to allow them in.

Members of the Mungiki political wing, the Kenya National Youth Alliance, said they had also been denied access to Njenga.

Mungiki spokesman Njuguna Gitau said they had made three attempts to visit their leader in vain.

“We do not know what they are up to because even the family is now being turned away,” he told the Press in Nairobi.

At the main entrance, the authorities at the institution have pinned a list of local journalists banned from visiting the prison.

Njenga’s brother Peter Njoroge, said they did not know how he was fairing because they were no longer allowed to see him or give him essential items like soap.

Njoroge said they feared for Njenga because they heard reports of problems at the institution.

“We were informed of problems at Naivasha in the past two weeks, including water shortage and riots,” he said.

A senior officer at the institution said Njenga and other inmates were well and dispelled reports of water shortage.