Mwane, formally known as Michael Mwaniki, grew up in Kayole B3 area. He attended Imara primary school and later joined Joy Valley for his high school, though he dropped out at some point.
He started out as a petty criminal, snatching handbags and phones from victims. His major break into the life of crime however came when helped a local politician protect grabbed land. They were paid handsomely and used the proceeds to acquire firearms and ammunition.
After the killing of Tomaso Gagula, a notorius criminal and head of the Gaza gang, in August 2014, the outfit split into several smaller gangs but Mwane seemed to be the de facto leader of the larger gang. He was based in Soweto slums, Kayole.
He ran a tight crew, admission involved elaborate rituals like oath-taking and shaving of the head with a razor blade.
The gang had informants right inside the police force. Which made it extremely hard to nab him.
Mwane’s biggest undoing was that he was an unashamed cop killer. He would even brag about it, ostensibly to raise his profile and strike fear from his juniors and rivals.
One thing the police can’t stomach is a cop killer, and so they launched a manhunt for him. At the height of this hunt, the then OCS of Soweto police station, alongside sergeants and constables were transferred because it was believed he had compromised them.
Some officers on the lookout in Soweto got wind of his hideout and went to check out the area as they called for backup. Mwane and his crew got out in the nick of time and bumped into two officers. He drew his pistol first and shot dead an officer by the name Boniface Oketch.
Coincidentally, it was the same day that another officer Mwane had killed was being buried. Japheth Mwiti was shot dead outside Naivas, Kayole.
After this narrow escape, Mwane relocated to Ruai. His cop-killing spree didn’t end. Some of the cops he killed include: Asbel Kipkorir, Kennedy Nkune, ASP Eston Ndwiga (30th Nov 2016 in Mihango) etc. He’s also linked to the shooting dead of former Moyale MP Philip Godana.
At this time Mwane was dating the infamous ‘Kenya’s prettiest gangster’ Claire Njoki aka Clea Adi Vybz. He must have been heads over heels in love with her because it is said he killed two of his close friends after suspecting them of hitting on her.
The way he excuted one of them (Collo) was quite macabre. He led him to the edge of a quarry under the pretext of having a private chat. He shot the guy and pushed him into the quarry.
Clea and other females in the crew were not just there for carnal pleasure, they were dangerous gangsters as well. They were mostly used to ferry guns because females don’t raise much suspicion and are rarely frisked when entering guarded premises.
They were also used to bait potential victims in clubs. They’d approach a guy, befriend him and spy on him. They would then relay the intel or lead him to the waiting crew who would waylay the victim and rob him.
Police shot dead Clea in May 2017 in Chokaa area of Kangundo Road. This prompted Mwane to come out and taunt the police under the account Hessy on Facebook. The account was believed to be operated by one or more police officers involved in the operation to flush out the hardcore gangsters. Mwane said that they killed an innocent girl because she refused to rat him out.
Hessy also warned gang members to attend Clea’s funeral at their own risk, that cops would be in attendance. True to their word, they apprehended three gang members.
A short while later, his other girl Marsha Minaj was also killed, after being warned by Hessy.
In April 2017 Mwane and his guys killed an AP officer in Ruai, leading to serious manhunt that saw some of their crew members killed. They then escaped to Weitethie.
In August 2017 they ambushed and killed two police officers who were on patrol in Miti Kenda, Kibichoi, Kiambu County. They pumped 4 bullets into each of the officers. They then took the dead policemen’s firearms, an AK and a Ceska Pistol.
After the Kibichoi incident, a special police unit set out to end Mwane’s fairy tale. They had manged to plant informants in the crew and were able to learn of the gang leaders’ whereabouts in Weitethie. It so happened that the informant was none other than the crew’s ammunition supplier.
On the morning of 20th August 2017, he got a call from the gang, they were making an order for ammunition. He alerted the police unit and they accompanied him surreptitiously as he was led to the exact location of the den via phone calls.
There were five gang members in the house at that time, Mwane and Willis came out to meet the supplier. As they exchanged words they to spotted some undercover cops, whom they must have recognized from earlier encounters. Mwane immediately drew his piece and started shooting wildly.
In the ensuing firefight, some of the gang members managed to escape towards Msikitini area. Mwane and Willis ran towards the swamp. It is said the gun battle lasted for 2 good hours. Willis was the first to be gunned down.
Mwane put on a brave fight but the special unit officers overpowered and eliminated him as well.
He was buried 9 days later in his rural home. His Eulogy was hilariously brief, his folks said he was a broker who sold land in Nairobi.
His funeral wasn’t as pompous and dramatic as Tomaso Gagula’s, partly because the gang members knew police would be waiting for them.
The leadership vacuum within the gang was quickly filled by his close friends Kagwanja, Odinga and Teddy Kasanga. They wouldn’t enjoy this status for long though as they were gunned down in December 2017.
Teddy and 4 others escaped from Kayole to Kathaana, Tala, unaware they were being followed by Flying Squad. The cops ambushed them in their hideout as they prepared breakfast, leading to a fierce shootout. The thugs even doused one of the officers with boiling water.
Two were shot dead in the gunfight and one shot himself after being cornered by an irate mob. Teddy and another accomplice escaped to Mwonyeni, a few kilometers farther, but the cops caught up and shot them dead. And that marked a resounding stamping out of the core Gaza gang.
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