Regional Commander Ali Nuno has issued a chilling directive to security forces, authorizing lethal force against the "Panga Boys" as violent crime surges across Mombasa and Kilifi.

The war on crime at the Coast has entered a deadly new phase. Coast Regional Police Commander Ali Nuno has effectively suspended the rules of engagement for armed criminals, issuing a controversial "shoot-to-kill" order against the juvenile gangs terrorizing the region. This directive follows a spate of gruesome attacks where machete-wielding youths—colloquially known as "Panga Boys"—have maimed and robbed residents with impunity, turning neighborhoods in Mombasa, Kilifi, and Kwale into no-go zones.

"You have only two options," Nuno warned in a statement that sent shockwaves through the human rights community. "Desist and reform, or move out of the entire coastal region." The ultimatum is clear: the police are no longer interested in arrests; they are seeking neutralization. This militarized approach reflects a desperate attempt to restore order in a region where the social contract between the state and the youth has completely collapsed.

The License to Kill

The Commander explicitly authorized officers to use their firearms when facing "immediate danger," a threshold that is notoriously elastic in the heat of operation. While intended to reassure a terrified public, the order raises the spectre of extrajudicial killings in a region with a dark history of police excess. The directive targets the hotspots where these gangs operate, signaling a violent crackdown is imminent.

• The Targets: The order specifically focuses on "machete-wielding criminals" in Mombasa, Kilifi, and Kwale counties.
• The Rationale: Police cite the resurgence of violent gangs captured on CCTV as justification for the extreme measures.
• The Risk: Human rights observers warn that such blanket orders often lead to the execution of innocent youth in informal settlements.

A Region on Edge

As the sun sets over the Indian Ocean, the mood in the coastal slums is one of palpable fear. Parents are terrified—not just of the gangs that recruit their children, but of the police squads now hunting them. Nuno’s declaration is a admission that conventional policing has failed. The coming days will determine whether this iron-fisted strategy brings peace or plunges the Coast into a cycle of blood and vengeance.