We are sliding into anarchy! Matiang'i calls for state action amid crime surge

According to the former Interior Cabinet Secretary, the recent cases of armed youths attacking citizens at political rallies, restaurants and in the streets are pushing the country into lawlessness.

He urged the government to take action to restore order as the nation gears up for the high-stakes 2027 General Election, with political leaders mobilising the youth to amass supporters.

"I understand the security sector like the back of my hand. I can tell from what we are seeing that we are losing the country to anarchy and sliding to chaos," he said at the ATG Deliverance Chapel in Kamulu, Nairobi County, on Sunday.

"We have a stake, whether you are in government or the opposition, because when things go south, we will all suffer equally."

He warned that it will be impossible to tame the vice once it becomes ungovernable, and everyone, including politicians alleged to be sponsoring the chaos, will fall victim.

"If the government has resources to know that you are criticizing them and abduct you, where are those resources when someone is buying batons and pangas to go and kill citizens?" he posed.

"Those in government, you might feel nice that you are being guarded, but when the country slides into chaos, you will also be a victim of the chaos."

He was referring to the Friday evening attack on the Linda Mwananchi faction by suspected goons as the leaders were on their way to Keroka for a political rally.

Among those caught in the fracas was United Green Movement Party presidential aspirant David Maraga, whose vehicle was among several attacked by armed goons.

At Keumbu Market along the Kisii-Keroka Road, armed youth pelted stones at the convoy while some were captured wielding clubs and targeting VIP vehicles as the political outfit travelled from Kisii for another rally in Keumbu before proceeding to Keroka.

One person died, and seven suspected individuals have already been arrested. 

Meanwhile, Nyaribari Chache MP Zaheer Jhanda has also been summoned to appear before the Kisii County DCI office in connection with the investigations.

Elsewhere in Nairobi, two gun-wielding robbers attacked customers at a restaurant in Westlands on Saturday night, stealing their valuables

This came barely a month after five robbers attacked another restaurant in the area and stole two phones among other valuables.