Politics is about persuasion, not violence

In Kitale, goons disrupted the Niko Kadi crew as they rallied Kenyans to register as voters. Recently, Vihiga Senator, Godfrey Osotsi, was beaten in Kisumu.

The brazenness of the acts suggests something more sinister than spontaneous chaos. Violence has emerged as the default strategy to frustrate and disrupt political opponents. The rise of the political goons industrial complex is a dangerous enterprise.

In Haiti, politicians created and sponsored gangs. It was not long before the gangs went wild. Now the gangs are targeting politicians. Is this what we want?

Political campaigns are acts of persuasion, not intimidation. Elections are marketplaces of ideas where the most convincing message wins through public appeal. Persuasion, not brutality, is the currency of democratic competition. Yes, political contestation can trigger intense emotions.

Campaigns stir pride, anger and tribal loyalties. But democracy demands maturity. It requires restraint. Leaders and supporters alike are expected to subordinate ego and temper passion. Resorting to goons is the strategy of the morally and politically bankrupt.

The latest trend is priming the country for electoral violence. Yet, the country still carries the scars of the election crises of 1992, 1997 and 2007/2008.

Political violence not only threatens democracy. It also cripples economic life. The economy is already under pressure from inflation and global instability. The last thing the country needs is the added burden of politically engineered chaos.

Political leaders must exercise responsibility. It is morally reprehensible to exploit unemployed and impoverished youth by turning them into instruments of violence. The justice system must demonstrate courage. The architects and godfathers of political violence should face the law.

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