Kisumu outlaws use of private security in political rallies to tame goons

Speaking after a joint security meeting on Wednesday, Kisumu County Commissioner Ramadhan Mwabudzo said that the county has adequate police officers to offer security in such rallies, directing that all leaders issue adequate notice before the meetings. 

Similar sentiments were echoed by Kisumu Governor Prof. Anyang' Nyong'o, who said that the use of private personnel could be fuelling the rise of goons. 

"We had a meeting in Kirembe, which is one of the biggest that I've attended. There were no goons, nobody was harassed and people came. If the goons were there that day, they moved the title and became citizens. Let us have confidence in ourselves that we can educate citizens like you and I," Nyong'o noted. 

Other security measures announced include a joint crackdown on the transport sector to weed out criminal elements, installation of floodlights and CCTV cameras in selected areas as well as reactivating the Kisumu County Rapid Response team. 

"We've already had 2 to 3 functions without any goons and they were successful. We're looking forward to formal agreements with all the leaders where we will no longer need the services of the goons. Kisumu County has enough security which can be provided at the request of the leaders at all times," Commissioner Mwabudzo stated. 

The development comes amid growing political tensions over claims that rival political camps are sponsoring gangs to disrupt public events and intimidate opponents.

The debate intensified after Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen directed Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja to deploy a special police unit to crack down on goons allegedly being used by politicians to cause chaos in different parts of the country.

Murkomen accused some political leaders of arming and mobilising youths to fuel unrest and violence for political gain.

“Time for talking is over. I have told the Inspector General to send a special team to come here and sweep away those gangs. They are harming people here in Trans Nzoia,” Murkomen said during a tour in Nandi County on April 12, 2026. 

Opposition leaders, on the other hand, have maintained that state agencies and individuals linked to the government are behind attacks witnessed at opposition events, arguing that security agencies have failed to act against the perpetrators.