Systemic use of 'goons' in Kenya amplifies political repression

To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Cover image: Goonism on the rise in Kenya as repression of protesters grows AP - Brian Inganga 01:41 Issued on: 23/07/2026 - 12:02 With one year to go before Kenya's 2027 presidential election, human rights organizations are sounding the alarm. They are denouncing the rise of “goons”—henchmen recruited by political leaders to infiltrate rallies, sow chaos, and intimidate opponents. This is a long-standing phenomenon that has worsened significantly since the large-scale protests against William Ruto’s government. Keywords for this article