Nairobi — Nairobi, the home city of UN-Habitat, is under the spotlight over increased crime and the shadowy Mungiki movement is a major worry to the UN, even though its activities have eased in the recent past.

The UN report shows that over the past two decades, criminal youth gangs are becoming a growing phenomenon in the city.

They are responsible for violent crimes such as robbery, murder, mugging, carjacking, housebreaking, physical and sexual assault, which have been on the increase in the city and its environs.

The largest proportion of crime in Kenya is committed by youths, and over 50 per cent of convicted prisoners in the country are aged between 16 and 25.

This problem is best illustrated by looking at the case of the Mungiki movement and the tens of thousands of youth who live on the street.

While these groups are not necessarily criminal in all their interactions with the broader society, their association with crime is such that they warrant special attention, especially in the run-up to elections.

Although Internal Security Minister John Michuki, is adamant that Mungiki has been contained, the group, which is said to number up to two million, is one of the most significant youth groups in Kenya in terms of its propensity for extreme violence and the potential to develop into a highly disruptive force in society.

The movement came into the limelight during the 1990s, posing as a traditional religious group, end even claimed inspiration from the Mau Mau movement. Today, Mungiki are considered the most organised and feared criminal group, with deep anti-establishment sentiments.

The second group, the growing population living and working on the streets of Nairobi and other Kenyan towns, is a major security and general development concern. Estimated to be 17,000 in 1975, today they are said to be over 300,000 with more than 60,000 in Nairobi alone.

The issue of street families as an important factor in the city's security is both real and perceived. It is real in that street families are involved in criminal activities, which include drug peddling and prostitution as well as theft of mobile phones, vehicle lights and side mirrors and other valuables from pedestrians and motorists. Older street people are also known to be involved in more serious crimes such as mugging and rape.

Consequently, the Kenyan public often perceives street people as criminals, thieves, drug addicts and an eyesore who should be eradicated from the streets.

The Kenya government has set up the Street Families Rehabilitation Trust Fund, but its impact is yet to be felt. The only result is that there are very few street families in the central business district compared with a few years ago. The trust's mandate is to co-ordinate rehabilitation, educate the public and mobilise resources.

Nairobi has much to learn from Durban in South Africa, the city that experienced soaring crime levels during the last years of apartheid. Durban city officials have forged development negotiations, peace pacts and partnerships as mechanisms to prevent crime in the city.

These efforts are meant to strengthen community-based involvement in the development process of South Africa, a notion that resonates well with the concept of participatory democracy. It involves incorporating the informal sector in crime prevention and targeting programmes for vulnerable groups. These initiatives have not eradicated crime but they have, to a great extent, contained it.