The growing use of armed youth groups by politicians is emerging as a serious threat to Kenya's electoral process, with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) warning that the mix of politics, violence and money could undermine preparations for the 2027 General Election.
Speaking during the launch of the IEBC Strategic Plan 2024–2029 and the Election Operations Plan 2025–2027 in Nairobi on Wednesday, IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon said recent electoral exercises had exposed worrying trends in which political actors allegedly mobilised young people and armed them under the guise of protecting votes.
Ethekon said the commission had conducted more than 30 electoral exercises in recent months and had drawn important lessons from those experiences.
"We are confronted with the challenge of conducting over 30 elections and we've learned something, and that something is very sad, that the relationship between our politics and violence and money is making our work difficult," Ethekon said.
He said politicians from different political camps appeared to be increasingly relying on groups of young people during election contests, a practice that has contributed to tensions and insecurity.
"There's this inclination for politicians to bring in these young people, arm them with their sticks and whatever manners of crude weapons, feed them during that season to protect their vote," he said. "I don't know from who, but what we saw, nobody complained to us that we are stealing anybody's vote, but they are protecting their vote from one another."
According to Ethekon, such actions have in some cases resulted in violent confrontations that have cost lives and disrupted electoral processes.
"When these groups clash, we lose some lives, as we witnessed at Kasipul constituency. We took action, and we will continue to take action to curb such instances of electoral malpractices," he said.
The IEBC chairperson cautioned that even the best election plans would fail if polls are conducted in an environment marked by fear, violence and intimidation.
"We can plan everything. This strategic plan can speak of beautiful things, but if the environment within which we hold elections is intoxicated, it's violent, it's unbearable. We cannot have an election," Ethekon added.
Chief Justice Martha Koome, who attended the event as the chief guest, echoed the concerns and urged political leaders to pursue their ambitions without putting the country at risk.
"Kenya belongs to all of us, the hopes, livelihoods, and future of 55 million people must never be held at ransom by the ambitions of a few seeking political office," Koome said.
She stressed that political competition should never be used as a reason to create instability or interfere with the lives of ordinary citizens.
"Political competition must never become a license to incite disorder, destroy property, disrupt livelihoods, or place the peace and stability of our nation at risk. We cannot allow Kenya to burn to satisfy the interest of a few," she said.
Koome said leadership should be guided by responsibility, restraint and commitment to the well-being of citizens.
"The true test of democratic leadership is not only the ability to seek power, but the discipline to pursue it peacefully, lawfully, and with fidelity to the welfare of the people," she said.
The warnings come amid increasing concern over claims that some politicians are using organised groups to intimidate opponents and disrupt public activities.
Religious leaders have also voiced concern over rising political violence and the growing use of hired groups during political activities, warning that the trend could weaken democratic processes if left unchecked.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has similarly cautioned that many political figures have surrounded themselves with organised groups operating as security teams or political mobilisers, raising further concerns over the role such groups could play as the country heads towards the 2027 General Election.