Deal with goons to protect our democracy
MP Peter Kaluma speaks to journalists moments after he was attacked by goons at Agoro Sare polling centre in Kasipul.
It was encouraging to hear President William Ruto speak, for the first time, against the use of goons in the country.
If this trend is not curtailed, it risks becoming a norm, posing a threat to State security and to democratic practice. Any political leader who believes in democratic institutions and in the ballot as the ultimate arbiter would never hire gangs to bolster his political path. Yet this has become a familiar feature of Kenyan politics.
Our politics have shifted from issue-based campaigns and the fulfilment of development pledges to tokenism and vote-buying. In places where voters insist on electing focused leaders—whether at ward, constituency or national level—based on principles and coherent agendas, the response has too often been the deployment of hired goons.
Their purpose is to disrupt organised decision-making and undermine the will of voters, giving way to chaos and even, at times, rigging. Those who use such thugs do so to instil fear and to manipulate the political system to their advantage.
It is increasingly evident that the right to choose one’s political alignment is no longer respected as a democratic tenet. Instead, it has become a matter of conforming to the will of those in power or being cast aside.
Even places of worship, considered sacred by most Kenyans, are no longer spared. Storming churches and throwing tear gas into sanctuaries—acts unheard of even under past dictatorial rule—are shocking violations. Many Kenyans wonder whether this is the price to be paid for refusing to support the system.
Goons are never seen disrupting meetings organised by those perceived to be government supporters; they invariably target opposition gatherings.
Competitive politics are here to stay, and differences of opinion are a healthy component of multi-party democracy. The right to choose is God-given and constitutionally protected, making it the government’s duty to safeguard it.
Our politicians are treading a dangerous path, and the president appears to have recognised this. Ultimately, it is his government and party that risk being tarnished. He must read the riot act to those responsible—whom his intelligence surely knows—so that calm can prevail.
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David M. Kigo, Nairobi
