Political violence signals troubled road to the 2027 General Election

Wiper Patriotic Front Leader Kalonzo Musyoka and other leaders at Karen Hospital when they visited Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi after he was assaulted by goons in Kisumu. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

This week’s public assault on Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, captured on CCTV and carried out in a busy commercial space, shatters any lingering illusion that Kenya’s next General Election will be calm, rules-based, or insulated from violence. While the Senator was taking coffee in one of Kisumu’s most frequented malls and coffee houses, he was brazenly attacked several times by multiple assailants.

For several minutes, he was savagely punched and kicked as his attackers loudly accused him of being opposed to President William Ruto. The incident confirms a deepening pattern of organised political goonism, weak deterrence, and selective policing. Violence is becoming a tool of political intimidation, with near-total impunity.

While his Linda Mwananchi movement allies have condemned the attack, there has been no public response from the Inspector General of Police, the Interior Principal Secretary, or the Cabinet Secretary. The Interior PS has remained silent despite a circulating photograph suggesting familiarity with the attackers, and the President has not disavowed statements by the assailants that the attack was punishment for Osotsi’s challenge to his re-election.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has announced the arrest of three suspects, and their arraignment in court may be imminent. The security lapse remains curious. Once again, citizens must ask: why did the National Intelligence Service not pick up on an attack that was clearly planned? The mall is less than three blocks away from a police station and is surrounded by several guarded government offices. How is it possible that no arrests were made at the scene?

Political tension has been rising since January. Opposition political rally organisers have faced multiple acts of intimidation and violence. Since the horrific June 30, 2025 rampage by goons in Nairobi that left vendor Boniface Kariuki dead, among others, several political events have been disrupted with little accountability.

During the January 25 attack on Witima ACK Church, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, his allies and supporters were pelted with stones, and their vehicles vandalised in the presence of police officers who made no arrests then or since. Last week, Samburu Governor Lelelit was roughed up by senators outside the National Assembly gates.

A dangerous pattern of normalised political violence and impunity is emerging. With it, the reputation of the National Police Service leadership as a neutral, non-partisan institution dedicated to public safety and human rights is being eroded. Opposition politicians rightfully point to the ease with which UDA can hold peaceful rallies, in contrast to those of the United Opposition and ODM–Linda Mwananchi.

While their anger is directed at the Inspector-General of Police, it is not only Douglas Kanja who is on trial. The very independence of the National Police Service is at stake. Removing individuals while retaining a culture of state capture and “orders from above” will not transform an increasingly unstable situation.

Kenya urgently needs clear, enforceable, and rights-respecting security measures for all political activities. A truly independent police service would conduct early threat assessments for politicians at risk. Instead of blanket deployments, trained close protection units should accompany leaders into high-risk situations.

Clear and objective rules for protection must be standardised to prevent security being increased or withdrawn as a form of reward or punishment. Non-recurrence is only possible through the arrest of both assailants and those who direct them. Commanding officers must be held accountable for failures to act despite warning signs.

Parliamentary oversight committees must summon the CS, the IG, and the IEBC over the Osotsi incident. They must also demand an election-related security management strategy immediately. All political parties must publicly renounce violence, gangs for hire, and introduce binding campaign codes of conduct.

The assault of Senator Osotsi is not just an attack on an individual. It is an attack on Kenya’s democratic space.