The Standard Group Plc, a leading multi-media house in Kenya, has called for condemnation of political hooliganism in the country. With the 2027 General Election approaching, Kenya is experiencing a surge in violent incidents at political rallies. The incidents have raised concerns about the country's democratic culture and the safety of citizens attending political gatherings.
Recent incidents of violence have been reported in several counties, including Homa Bay, Migori, Garissa, and Embu. In Homa Bay County, the Linda Mwnanchi rallies degenerated into violence, resulting in assaults, loss of life, and destruction of property. Similar incidents have been reported in other counties, with citizens being exposed to danger instead of being able to exercise their democratic right to listen and be heard.
The violence has been attributed to the deployment of intimidation and hooliganism aimed at silencing dissenting voices. The Green Congress Party has condemned political hooliganism in the strongest terms, repudiating the use of gangs, hired mobs, intimidation, and physical coercion as instruments of political mobilisation.
A political party ought to win the confidence of citizens through ideas, policy, integrity, and leadership, not through fear. The party's statement is addressed to politicians across the political spectrum, urging them not to instrumentalise Kenya's youth for political battles. The youth are often the ones who bear the physical risk, arrest records, injuries, and sometimes the ultimate cost of political violence.
The freedom of movement and the freedom of political expression are essential in a constitutional democracy. If a Kenyan cannot journey to another county to propagate a political idea without fear of assault, then every Kenyan's democratic freedom stands imperiled.
The right to attend, listen, weigh competing arguments, and even heckle peaceably is central to the democratic experience. When that right can only be exercised at personal risk, democracy itself has been narrowed. The incidents have provoked national disquiet regarding the trajectory of Kenya's politics as the 2027 General Election approaches.
Every generation of Kenyans has had to answer the question of what kind of nation it wishes to leave behind. The manner in which Kenya conducts its politics today will be a significant part of that answer for the generation now coming of age. Kenyans must strive for a country where every political entity is free to do politics and sell its policy in every nook and cranny unhindered.
Key points
- Politicians across the spectrum are urged not to use youth for political battles.
- Recent incidents of violence have been reported in several counties, including Homa Bay, Migori, Garissa, and Embu.
- The Green Congress Party has condemned political hooliganism in the strongest terms.
