Mr President, will you ever crush goons?

Every time political violence occurs, President William Ruto is usually out of the country and when he jets back, he assures the country that his administration would end goonism and lawlessness.

The last time the country witnessed political violence was during the Ol Kalou by-election on July 16, last month, where two people were killed while over 20 people were left fighting for their lives in hospitals; the President announced he had directed the Inspector General of Police to deal decisively with goons.

His remarks followed widespread criticism after heavily armed and hooded men concealed in masks and balaclavas, driving in high-end, number-plate-less SUVs, lobbied teargas canisters at peaceful and unarmed electorate while the uniformed police officers shot in the air.

Speaking six days after the deaths and injuries of peaceful Kenyans, the President emerged from State House and pledged to end political violence, framing peace as a non-negotiable threshold for national development and democratic competition.

The President, while sounding an alarm on the rise of the unruly goon culture in the country, asserted that it was time to tame the vice, saying the rise of violent youthful groups had become a threat to national security and may cripple the nation's growth.

"Now that we have a consensus, our security agencies must do their job within the law, and they must stop criminality. That is how we are going to secure Kenya's future even as we discuss this future of our nation in the context of what we are saying.

In the same month, while attending the consecration of Bishop Vitalis Job Ekuru at Katakwa, Ruto assured citizens that the 2027 General Election would be peaceful, stating that his administration would decisively crush political violence and criminal gangs.

On June 15, Ruto again called for an end to what he described as a recurring cycle of violence, destruction and loss of life that often follows public protests in Kenya, warning that the pattern continues to weaken democracy and hurt ordinary citizens.

He said that while Kenyans have a constitutional right to demonstrate, the manner in which protests have been conducted in recent years has often led to deaths, destruction of property and deep national divisions.

“Whenever this cycle unfolds, Kenya loses. Citizen losses, family losses, business losses and our democracy is diminished. The blame game begins, one side points to police brutality, the other to criminal elements and organised violence,” he said.

Following the widely covered Witima attack that saw women and children scamper for safety after teargas was lobbed inside the church, the President on February 1 condemned the use of churches as venues for political disputes and directed police to arrest the culprits.

He acknowledged that citizens may engage in politics but insisted that the house of God must remain a space of peace, reflection, and worship.

 “All of us being Kenyans, we can engage in politics and seek leadership, but the house of God, at the altar, in the church, is a place of respect. Let us not bring politics, hatred, disputes, or chaos there. We want our churches to be a place of peace, a place of seeking God. And all of us, irrespective of who we are, irrespective of what we believe in, we must respect the place of God in our churches,” he said.

The President has directed all security forces to safeguard churches from violence and political interference.

“All arms of security must ensure that our places of worship are protected from unnecessary, and retrogressive fights and politics. All of us have platforms outside the church where we can conduct our politics,” he added.

In yet another incident on December 2 last year, Ruto directed IG Kanja to take firm action against criminal groups accused of infiltrating political functions and perpetrating violence across the country.

The order followed a series of chaotic incidents during recent by-elections and political events, raising fresh concerns over the use of hired gangs as tools of intimidation within Kenya’s political arena.

Speaking at the Administration Police Training College in Embakasi, where he presided over the graduation of 5,892 chiefs and assistant chiefs trained in security management and paralegal studies, Ruto condemned the rising cases of politically sponsored violence.

He warned that individuals deploying youths to disrupt public events or cause unrest would face the full force of the law.

“Those who are using young people to cause chaos, disrupt citizens and jeopardize national security will be dealt with. I have instructed the Inspector General to take decisive legal action to bring this to an end,” the President said.

The directive came in the wake of opposition claims that the government was complicit, or at minimum passive, in the face of violence linked to pro-government groups.

Despite Ruto’s directives to the police, no suspect was arrested in connection with various attacks on the Opposition leaders while such cases surged under his watch.

Three weeks after Ruto’s directive two people were killed and scores injured in Homa Bay following goons’ attacks against the Linda Mwananchi rally led by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna.

The Opposition figures dismissed Ruto’s directives as hot air, claiming that as the chairperson of the National Security Council, he was at the heart of the planning of the violence.

Jubilee Deputy Party leader and former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i maintains that violence could not proceed in the country without Ruto’s nod due to his influence in the National Security committee.

He said the violence witnessed in different parts of the country over the weekend pointed to a coordinated pattern that could not have occurred without the knowledge of the country’s security leadership.

“It is now abundantly clear that the President and his government have chosen violence as a weapon for political survival and engagement,” Matiang’i said.

According to Matiang’i, the scale of the violence raises questions about whether security agencies and the President were aware of what was unfolding.

From my experience, I want to tell Kenyans very sincerely. I do not think, and I cannot see how the scale of violence in Homa Bay and the activity that happened there could have happened without the knowledge of the National Security Council, and without the knowledge especially of the ... the President receives executive intelligence briefing wherever he is," said Matiang'i, referring to his experience as a former Cs for Interior.

Matiang’i warned that the country was entering a dangerous period, saying Kenya had begun its ‘final descent towards anarchy’ if political violence was allowed to continue unchecked.

He said he would begin consultations with other opposition leaders on how to respond to what he described as an increasingly hostile political environment.

“Political difference is not a good enough excuse to inflict the kind of loss and pain we have witnessed this weekend,” he said.

Matiang’i also accused the government of what he termed ‘digital terrorism ’, alleging that social media accounts belonging to opposition figures were being targeted.

He further claimed that opposition leaders had encountered vehicles fitted with signal jammers during political rallies, suggesting that such equipment could only be deployed by actors with significant resources.

“I believe this is the work of the state because who else has the capacity to do that?” he posed.

 On his part, Gachagua claimed Ruto was presiding over a security apparatus that allegedly works hand in hand with violent groups to terrorize Kenyans.

The Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader argued that the country’s greatest security challenge was not criminal gangs but what he termed “rogue police officers working with goons.”

“The problem in East African Haiti, formerly the Republic of Kenya, is not goons. It is rogue police officers working with goons to terrorize Kenyans,” Gachagua said.

The former Deputy President questioned the President’s commitment to fighting criminality, alleging that individuals linked to the government have previously operated alongside gangs in Nairobi and other parts of the country.

“Mr. William Ruto, I have heard that today you ordered that goons and criminals be dealt with across the country. Fair enough. But is this the first time you are saying this? Who moves around Nairobi and the country with goons? Not you?” he said.