State-goons links fuel fresh fears of rising unrest, political anarchy

The primitive and worrying trend of politicians hiring goons to terrorise peaceful protesters or to disrupt meetings organised by political opponents is back, but this time, at an alarming level.

Such tactics were common during Kenya’s second liberation struggle, when gangs such as Jeshi la Mzee unleashed violence on pro-democracy activists and opposition leaders in Nairobi streets.

It is, therefore, shocking that more than 30 years after the re-introduction of multi-party politics and 15 years since the promulgation of the new constitution, the political class still believes in hiring goons to bludgeon fellow citizens.

As protesters continue calling for an end to police brutality, they are being confronted by armed goons, allegedly shielded by the very police officers meant to protect peaceful picketers.

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja has denied claims that he hired gangs from Kawangware, Mathare, Korogocho, and Kibera to attack youths protesting the killing of teacher and blogger Albert Ojwang outside Central Police Station.

Senate Majority Whip Bonny Khalwale has petitioned President William Ruto to take action against Governor Sakaja over claims he hired and armed goons with crude weapons, clubs, knives, and other implements, to attack peaceful protesters.

Speaking in Ikolomani, Khalwale said the incident was particularly disturbing as many of the hired youths were from his Luhya community, which is also home to the governor’s maternal roots.

“I saw footage of a boy cornered by protesters, speaking like a Luhya from the Isukha, Wanga, Kisa or Idakho sub-tribes, being beaten badly.

They dropped a huge stone on his head. When asked who sent him, he said, ‘Governor Sakaja,’” Khalwale told a group of shocked women.

A cross section of leaders had since Tuesday, condemned the hiring of goons who appeared to be operating alongside police officers to allegedly maintain order and protect businesses from looters in the city.

Leaders who hired the goons to attack and steal from people walking on the streets have so far not been held accountable. It is feared that if the practice continues unchecked, such confrontations could easily degenerate into anarchy.

“The public now knows police are working with goons but how many of them can win these fights if thousands of people regroup and also arm themselves. We will simply not have a city and that should worry any leader worth the position he or she holds,” says lawyer George Muhia Warutere.

His colleague Willis Otieno also argues that the deployment of police officers during protests is now done with the ulterior motive of undermining a political course that legacy politicians are unhappy with and not to maintain law and order as alleged.

Clear instructions

It is argued that officers come to the streets with clear instructions to challenge those protesting. That is why they appear to be in good company with armed goons attacking the very people they are supposed to protect as per the constitution.

“They are at home with armed goons deployed by legacy politicians led by Sakaja. He has denied it, but we heard him warning protestors in a public forum.

“He said jaribuni Tuesday, mutanipata town (Try protesting on Tuesday. You will find me in town). We saw those goons outside city hall shouting Sakaja tumefanya kazi (Sakaja we have accomplished the task),” says Otieno.

Focus also shifts to President Ruto’s promise to Kenyans during the launch of Kenya Kwanza manifesto on June 30, 2022, when he said that incidents of police brutality and thuggery would not be condoned by his administration.

The violence being visited to peaceful protestors by the armed goons is now raising the level of lawlessness on the streets to a completely different level. Never before has such a large armed mob descended on civilians walking along city streets.

Prof Peter Kagwanja, Africa Policy Institute President, fears the protected gangs could later become a big headache to the government like what happened in Haiti, where militia groups aided by the State turned out to a big menace in society.

“We are going down a very slippery road that is unacceptable. The youth are just demanding that they be allowed to protest peacefully because they are not armed and are not out to hurt anyone or their business,” says Kagwanja.

He thinks those in power now still have nostalgia for the Kanu era, where government big wigs developed dictatorial aspirations, yet that cannot find space in the current constitutional dispensation.

Kagwanja views the use of goons to disrupt peaceful protests as an attempt by police and the government to cause anarchy, when all the young people need is to be allowed to express themselves freely to demand for good governance.

“These young people are not from Mars. They are our children and they are 80 percent of the population. No police force or goons can hold them back. Parents also have feelings and they have joined them. Government must not push people to a tipping point,” cautions Kagwanja.

The current leadership, therefore, has a moral responsibility to ensure that law and order prevails through promoting proper governance systems instead of being selfish and pushing Kenyans into a confrontation.

Instead of hiring goons and using brutal force by the police, the Kenya Kwanza regime is advised to use the heavy public protection architecture provided by the constitution to enforce law and order.

Institutions like the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA), Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), Kenya National Human Rights Commission (KNHRC), Ethics and Ant-Corruption Commission and the National Police Service Commission should therefore, be allowed to work independently.

Those government agencies should not allow continued collaboration of police and goons to unleash havoc and mayhem on innocent people. The outdated practice was used by rogue Kanu leaders in the 1980’s and 90’s to intimidate and harass opponents during the one party dictatorship.

One such notorious politician was former Westlands MP Fred Gumo, who repeatedly denied accusations that he was financing the infamous Jeshi la Mzee group that sent shivers down the spine of government critics and multi-party crusaders.

The man who rose from a Kanu youth activist in Kitale town to become Mayor of Kitale Municipality and later became chairman of the Nairobi City Commission, a body formed by former President Daniel arap Moi after he disbanded the Nairobi City Council, was a brutal operator.

Biggest bully

He went by the moniker Kaa Ngumu (stay strong), a phrase he used to rally supporters, especially his Luhya ethnic community voters in Nairobi. Gumo was perhaps the biggest bully that President Moi needed in Nairobi politics.

At the height of the multi-party protests in Nairobi, Rev Timothy Njoya, a senior cleric from the PCEA church was seriously injured by club wielding Jeshi la Mzee goons near Parliament Buildings.

Njoya was a popular preacher who was a thorn in the flesh of the Moi government. On the contrary, the press frequented his church at Kinoo every day to interview the newsmaker.

The image of the Rev Njoya lying on the side of the road helplessly as Jeshi la Mzee commander Patrick Shikanda Likhotio Likhotio beat him senseless captured many headlines.

Escorted goons

A picture of another innocent elderly man being attacked by the goons on Koinange street, rekindled the events that transpired when Njoya was attacked in the presence of police officers.

Two GSU police officers stood by armed with AK 47 rifles as Likhotio beat up Njoya, in similar fashion to the police officers who escorted goons around the city to clobber innocent people this week.

Policemen, backed by goons, also attacked the late Prof Wangari Maathai and other women protestors and injured them with stick-beatings around the same time. Likhotio never revealed the person who paid him to carry out the dirty job.

He later astonished Christians at Njoya’s Kinoo church, on the outskirts of Nairobi, when he publicly repented for the violent act against the prelate.

In a Kiswahili speech, Likhotio denounced his past, sought forgiveness from God and the congregation for assaulting a man of God, and pledged to live as a born-again Christian.

Gumo, meanwhile continued with his mischief after he joined Raila Odinga and others in the National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) in 2002, and on November 21, 2002, The Standard witnessed some of the worst violence in a party nomination exercise.