Urban growth, political patronage of gangs, and the criminalization of urban municipal services are inextricably linked in many instances. This has created lucrative profit-making opportunities for gangs and other criminal groups in areas characterized by high unemployment, especially among the youth. Certain criminal gangs have become wealthy by providing informal services or taxing residents for transport, waste removal, electricity, and water provision. As a result, they have become deeply embedded in the everyday lives of citizens in Nairobi and Mombasa.
