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.