Goons for hire: Civil society groups raise alarm over hiring of organised gangs from Nakuru East and West for political activities

Nakuru Civil Society Organizations Forum has expressed alarm over the increasing use of organised groups of youths to perpetrate violence during political activities, warning that the trend could entrench criminal gangs, shrink democratic space and threaten the country's security if left unchecked.

Speaking during a press briefing in Nakuru, the Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Enhancing Democracy and Good Governance (CEDGG), Paul Masese, lamented that politicians are exploiting unemployed young people for political violence, only for the same groups to evolve into organised criminal networks.

Masese noted that Nakuru has, for nearly two decades, struggled with organised criminal gangs, making the county particularly vulnerable to the current wave of politically instigated violence.

"One of the greatest fears we have is that for almost 15 to 20 years now, Nakuru Municipality, now Nakuru City, has had one of the highest numbers of organised criminal gangs stemming from Nakuru East and Nakuru Town West. Most people only talk about Confirm, but there are many other variants, mostly made up of unemployed young people who are economically vulnerable and therefore easily manipulated by politicians," he said.

He argued that widespread unemployment and poverty have created fertile ground for politicians to recruit youths into violent groups through financial inducements, alcohol and drugs.

According to Masese, the growing culture of using hired goons to disrupt demonstrations and intimidate opponents’ mirrors Kenya's past experiences with outlawed gangs such as Mungiki, whose origins were rooted in political mobilization before eventually becoming a major security threat.

"Mungiki was initially formed to protect political interests during the struggle for multiparty democracy, but it eventually became such a powerful organisation that it threatened business operators and even the government that had nurtured it," he said.

Masese also cited groups such as Amachuma in Kisii and Sungusungu, which started as community security initiatives before politicians allegedly infiltrated and funded them for political purposes, transforming them into violent groups that even targeted government officials.

He cautioned that if political leaders continue financing and deploying youths to cause violence, the same individuals may later turn against businesses, communities and even the politicians themselves after elections when the flow of money stops.

"The seed politicians are planting today will come back to haunt them. Violence has no direction. Once unleashed, it can affect anyone, including the very people who think they are protected," he said.

In a joint statement, the Nakuru County Civil Society Organisations Forum condemned what it described as an escalating trend of political violence, intimidation and the use of organised criminal groups to silence civic engagement and the opposition.

The organisations cited recent attacks on public forums, civic organisations and political gatherings across the country, saying such incidents amount to an assault on constitutional freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly.

Bancy Kubutha, Executive Director Center for Transformational Leadership (CTL) called on the National Police Service to investigate all reported incidents of political violence impartially and prosecute those financing, organising and participating in attacks regardless of their political affiliations. 

" To the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) we want them to strictly enforce the Electoral Code of Conduct and take firm action against candidates linked to violence," she noted.

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