The growing use of political goons and organised criminal gangs is threatening Kenya’s security and democratic space, with concerns mounting over the ability and willingness of security agencies to prevent violence ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Speaking on Radio Generation on Monday, Law Society of Kenya Nairobi Branch Chairperson Erick Kivuva said Kenya’s security agencies have the capacity and intelligence to identify criminal groups but often fail to act before violence occurs.
He cited the contrasting handling of high-profile murder investigations as evidence that police can deliver sophisticated investigations when they choose to.
“When you observe, for example, when it came to the investigation involving the late Ong’ondo Were, the MP, the manner in which that investigation was conducted left no doubt that maybe our capacity when it comes to investigations is more or less at the same level as the FBI,” Kivuva said.
He questioned why other murder cases have remained unresolved for long periods, arguing that security agencies often have information about criminal networks operating in the country.
“So that tells you that our security apparatus know who the goons are,” he said, adding that Kenya has “maybe one of the best trained police in Africa”.
Kivuva said the problem was particularly visible during political gatherings, where armed groups have been allowed to block roads and attack people despite police being nearby.
Discussing the violence witnessed around political rallies in Homa Bay, he rejected suggestions that police lacked the capacity to respond.
“I look at it as a crime of omission, so that the police did not stop it because they simply did not want to do it,” he said.
“There is nothing like capacity because one policeman would have the capacity to take care of quite a number of goons because they are trained.”
Kivuva warned that the situation could become more dangerous if political goonism develops into permanent organised criminal networks.
“I can tell you for sure that the moment goonism has been institutionalized, and we now have organized criminal gangs all over the country, we will not be able to contain them, and that is just the surest way to lose a country,” he said.
He blamed politicians and their financiers for recruiting young people, many of them unemployed, to disrupt political meetings in exchange for money.
“If we want to apportion blame, don't go far. Just look at the politicians and point a finger at them directly,” he said.
His remarks come amid renewed debate over political violence ahead of the 2027 elections, following clashes at recent political gatherings.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said on Sunday during the Belgut Half Marathon in Kericho that police would not tolerate goons or political violence.
He said the National Police Service had adopted a strategy to arrest suspected goons before they reach political meetings.
“I want to commend the Inspector General of police because he now has a new strategy to arrest and detain goons even before they get to meetings to cause violence,” Murkomen said.
The CS also urged Kenyans to avoid political meetings where goons are mobilised.
“I want to advise the people of Kenya not to go to the meetings of leaders who are paying and walking around with goons,” he said.