NAIROBI, Kenya (IP)
As Kenya edges toward elections, Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen is warning politicians against hiring goons.
The warning, however, is landing in a country where critics say goons are not a side hustle—but a long-standing campaign strategy.
The trend sharpened during the rejection of the Finance Bill 2024 which led to bloody protests, where violent infiltrators blended with genuine protesters, exposing a growing political “gig economy” of disruption-for-hire.
Analysts say many politicians recruit goons for simple reasons: they are unpopular, lack a convincing manifesto, or cannot mobilize genuine support.
Others use them for intimidation, crowd simulation, and plausible deniability when things go wrong.
Cheap labour from unemployed youth makes the system even easier to sustain.
The pattern is not new. Under Daniel arap Moi and later during Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta era tensions, organized groups were repeatedly linked to electoral violence.
Today, critics say the only upgrade is technology—same politics, faster coordination.
Murkomen insists the state will act. The electorate, meanwhile, is asking a simpler question: if politicians can “hire” chaos, why is it so hard to fire it?
For now, the business of goons remains open—no manifesto required.
