By Eric Wamanji
Thuggery appears to have coiled itself into Kenya’s political architecture the way a python coils around its prey. And that should alarm us all.
The latest manifestation of this disturbing trend unfolded over the weekend in Kikuyu Township, Kiambu County. As the town hosted former Deputy President, Mr. Rigathi Gachagua, hooligans blocked roads, robbed motorists and vandalised vehicles.
And Kikuyu is not an isolated case. Other sto have faced the ugly rungu of goons include Governor George Natembeya. Recently, Vihiga Senator, Godfrey Osotsi was beaten to a pulp in Kisumu. That’s not all. Over the weekend, in Kitale, goons disrupted the Niko Kadi crew as they rallied Kenyans to register as voters. Folks the terrifying runs ad infinitum.
Political Goons Industrial Complex
The brazenness of the acts suggests something more sinister than spontaneous chaos. Violence has emerged as the default strategy to frustrate and disrupt political opponents. This is a classic Gramscian “Crisis of Hegemony” where consent appears to be weakening and the elite is forced to violence as a technology of power. The rise of the political goons industrial complex is a dangerous enterprise; a monster being fattened. It should be condemned and dismantled before too late.
Haiti serves as a good case study. Politicians created and sponsored different gangs. It was not long before the gangs went wild. Now the very gangs are eating politicians alive. Is this what Kenya really wants?
The puerile events of the weekend were a stark reminder that the country still walks dangerously close to the landmines of political violence. We should fret. Political gangsterism seeks to undermine democracy. Architects want the citizenry to fear political participation. The design is to create a society that loses faith in democracy and then get trapped by the clutches of illegitimate and exploitative mafia-like leaders.
Yet, such violence is just vanity. Consider ancient Rome. In March 44 BCE, senators assassinated Julius Caesar, claiming they were saving the Republic. Instead, Rome descended into brutal civil war. The conspirators, including Brutus, ultimately died in defeat. The victor, Augustus, transformed Rome into an empire. Violence destroyed the republic it purported to save.
Democracy works differently. Political campaigns are acts of persuasion, not intimidation. Elections are marketplaces of ideas where the most convincing message wins through public appeal. Persuasion, not brutality, is the currency of democratic competition. Indeed, to win hearts and minds of a people, reality dictates that politics should be a dance of seduction.
Yes, political contestation can trigger intense emotions. Campaigns stir pride, anger and tribal loyalties. But democracy demands maturity. It requires restraint. Leaders and supporters alike are expected to subordinate ego and temper passion.
Violence is barbaric, retrogressive, and immoral. Resorting to goons is the strategy of the morally and politically bankrupt. The latest trends can easily prime the country for electoral violence.
Yet, Kenya understands the consequences of political violence better. The country still carries the scars of the election crises of 1992 and 1997. The trauma of the 2007–2008 post-election violence remains fresh in national memory. Those dark days cost more than lives; they shook the economy, divided communities and undermined Kenya’s global reputation. We cannot afford to walk that path again.
As the country slowly approaches the 2027 General Election, the risk of copycat violence spreading across political battlegrounds is real.
Lest we forget, political violence does not only threaten democracy. It also cripples economic life. Investors hesitate. Tourists cancel trips. Businesses slow operations as uncertainty spreads. Ordinary citizens adopt a wait-and-see attitude.
Kenya’s economy is already under pressure from inflation and global instability. The last thing the country needs is the added burden of politically engineered chaos. Most citizens simply want peaceful elections so they can pursue their dreams in harmony.
Political leaders, meanwhile, must exercise responsibility. It is morally reprehensible to exploit unemployed and impoverished youth by turning them into instruments of violence. Folks, this mafia-style system is anything but leadership. Nor is there honour in winning political battles soaked in blood.
That is why the justice system must demonstrate courage. The architects and godfathers of political violence should face the law. Ultimately, such violence should be rendered too expensive an enterprise- legally, economically, politically and socially.
Finally, good people, elections are temporary moments in the life of a nation. The political fever that grips society during campaigns will eventually subside. When it does, Kenyans will still have a country to build together. Only the unwise, the unpatriotic, author the destruction of their society.