Weekend goon attacks were extremely terrifying

Goonism in kenya streets increasing.[File, Standard]

If anyone still believes that Kenya's democratic space has matured beyond the dark ages of state tolerated political thuggery, the events of their past weekend have provided a violent, blood-soaked wake up call.

From the smoke of burning motorbikes in Kisumu to the terrifying chaos in Nyahururu where a church service at AIPCA Cathedral was stoned and Murang'a Governor Irungu Kang’ata’s driver was hospitalised after a bullet lodged his chest, the message sent to Kenyans was loud, clear and deeply alarming: Agree with the status quo,or face the goons.

What happened to the Linda Mwananchi Movement over the weekend wasn't just a localised clash between rival political fractions. This was a direct, coordinated assault on the constitutional right to free assembly and expression. And it sets a terrifying precedent for what lies ahead.

For weeks, the Linda Mwananchi Movement has faced escalating hostility, stretching back to the violent stoning of their convoy in Keumbu, Kisii County. But the synchronised attacks in both Kisumu and Nyahururu over the weekend reveal a dangerous evolution.

Political actors are no longer just hiring local  youths to heckle. They are importing organised criminal gangs, allegedly operating under the very noses of plainclothes security officials. When politics devolve from a war of ideas to a war of stones, spears and bullets and mwananchi is always the first casualty.