Report details hired political violence in Kenya before 2027 vote

A report on political violence in Kenya says politicians are hiring armed groups, known locally as “goons,” for low daily payments as competition rises before elections due in August 2027.

The report says the groups are hired in dozens or hundreds to disrupt rival rallies, attack protesters and target civil rights groups. A recent study by Nairobi-based research firm Odipo Dev described a rate card, with payments from 500 Kenyan shillings, about $4, for work linked to a local councillor, to as much as 1,000 shillings for members of parliament.

Five men who said they had worked as goons spoke on condition that their names were changed. One of them, identified as Marius, said he had done the work since he was 17. He said he lost five teeth in a fight after a politician paid him to protest the opening of a hospital by a rival. Marius said poverty and lack of education left him with few options, and that he did not want his son to follow him into the same work.

The report says poverty is a central driver. It cites the World Bank as saying about 800,000 people enter Kenya's labour market each year, compared with only 100,000 formal-sector jobs. Another interviewee, Daniel, said he studied criminology at university but could not get a job without connections or money. He said he regretted seven years of goon work but still expected to earn more during the coming campaign period.

The report describes alleged official tolerance or involvement as a major concern. It says hundreds of goons appeared to work alongside police during anti-government protests last year, attacking demonstrators before looting and vandalising businesses in central Nairobi. It also says CCTV footage from last month showed uniformed officers moving alongside an armed gang that entered All Saints Church in Nairobi and violently disrupted a civil rights meeting.

This month, an opposition rally in southwest Kenya was overwhelmed by armed men, leaving one person dead and several wounded. Videos cited in the report showed police watching from the sidelines.

Police spokesperson Michael Muchiri rejected claims that the police force works with goons, calling them “preposterous.” He said any such incidents involved rogue officers who were under investigation, and said the National Police Service wanted to stop goon culture from taking hold.

Analysts said the practice is entrenched across political sides. Odipo Dev researcher Darius Okolla said there is a policing gap and that politicians feel the need to use such groups either to defend themselves or intimidate opponents.

The report traces the practice to the 1990s, when authoritarian president Daniel arap Moi established Youth for Kanu '92 to rally support for elections. The group was accused of bribing voters and fomenting violence. William Ruto, now Kenya's president, was a key organiser. Ruto was later charged by the International Criminal Court with crimes against humanity over election violence in 2007 and 2008, but the case stalled after alleged witness intimidation.

Since Ruto won the presidency in 2022, Marius claimed the use of goons has again reached a peak as the government has cracked down on youth-led protests over economic hardship and corruption. The report says the government did not respond to requests for comment.

Hussein Khalid of rights group Vocal Africa warned that if the trend continues, Kenya will not have free, fair and peaceful elections in August 2027.

The report says goons are usually recruited offline through neighbourhood contacts to avoid electronic records. Recruits may be told to gather in black clothing with their faces covered. Payments are made in cash. Groups are often made up of 20 to 50 people and led by an organiser. Several interviewees said some violent organisers hope to rise through the ranks and become intermediaries between street-level groups and politicians with money.

The interviewees said they cared little for the politicians they were paid to support. Some said they disliked Ruto. But they also said joining protesters or rights groups would leave them without income. Daniel said many young people see the work as a way to take a share from a political system they already view as corrupt.