Rise of Political Goons Puts 2027 Elections at Risk as Police Accused of Looking Away
This has raised serious concerns about the 2027 elections scheduled for August 10, when Kenyans will elect leaders from MCA to President.
Photo: Courtesy.
By Robert Mutasi
With exactly one year until the 2027 General Election, Kenya is facing a worrying return of political goonism that threatens to make the polls chaotic and less credible.
In the last few months, gangs linked to politicians have been attacking rival meetings, disrupting rallies and causing fear at polling stations. In many of these incidents, police officers were present but did not act, leading to claims that the state is tolerating the violence.
During the recent Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, for example, hooded men in SUVs threw teargas and fired in the air near polling stations while thousands of police officers who had been deployed watched. A similar scene was witnessed in Mbeere North on November 27, where goons armed with clubs and a pistol tried to storm the Siakago Hall polling station, forcing voters to run for their lives.
Opposition leaders now say the government is protecting the gangs. They point to incidents in Kisumu, Nyahururu and Kikuyu where former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s meetings were blocked by a combination of police and suspected hired goons.
This has raised serious concerns about the 2027 elections scheduled for August 10, when Kenyans will elect leaders from MCA to President.
A report by the Kofi Annan Foundation now ranks Kenya second in Africa with an 84.1% risk of election-related violence, warning that these goons are becoming more organized and are being funded as private political armies.
Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen have said they have identified those behind the violence and will arrest them. The IEBC has also promised to crack down on any politician who hires goons.
But many Kenyans are yet to see any real arrests or prosecutions, and leaders like Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka have warned that if this culture of intimidation is not stopped now, Kenya’s democracy will be in danger.
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