Politicians rearing monster that will turn around and devour them

The Gen Z protests of 2024 produced credible, documented accusations of security forces working alongside hired goons. [File, Standard]

There is a moment in the life of every failed state when criminal gangs stop fearing the government, and the government starts fearing criminal gangs.

That moment, if Kenya is paying attention, is here. Stories of how gangs grew from neighbourhood nuisances into parallel governments abound. In the 19th century New York, Irish and Italian immigrants formed protection groups in places like Brooklyn and the Five Points neighbourhood of lower Manhattan; communities brutalised by poverty, ignored by the state, and preyed upon by rivals. Those protection groups, born of genuine necessity, later became extortion rackets, gambling syndicates, and smuggling operations.