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Rowdy youths

Police battle rowdy youths who had attempted to disrupt Deputy President William Ruto’s rally at Jacaranda grounds in Nairobi on January 16, 2022.

| File | Nation Media Group

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Inside the underworld of political crowds for hire

By  Sidney Chazima  &  Mercy Simiyu

What you need to know:

  • Nation reveals startling information about the extent of voter bribery and the normalisation of hirelings on the campaign trail.
  • Last year, Twitter influencers-for-hire funded by faceless agencies behind coordinated disinformation campaigns

Charged. Euphoric. Unruly. And violent. This is an apt description of crowds at political rallies, except most aren’t spontaneous.

Welcome to the underworld of hired goons for political rallies, the stock in trade in Kenya’s politics.

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