They show up in mammoth numbers, loud, violent, feisty, spirited, young and ready to play the tune called by the most fat-pocketed piper.
They move in haste, devouring anything in their path like termites on wood. They strategically position themselves in political rallies and events ready to heckle their nemesis for the day, the main agenda ensuring an event flounders or succeeds.
Political leaders have for aeons termed them ‘goons’ and even linked them to their political rivals.
Kenya’s political history has been anchored on the culture of hiring goons, normally youthful and from poverty-stricken neighbourhoods, and even allegedly going to lengths of ferrying them miles away from Nairobi to their rallies in the farthest outskirts.
They are used to build huge crowds at political events and bolster the popularity and influence of a particular politician because, in politics, optics is everything.
The late ex-president Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi had devised these tactics that endeared him to the masses, and years later, his crowd-pulling strategies are still being applied.
Money, Goons and Chaos
Recently, however, the crowds have slowly morphed into ruinous masses as they wreak havoc in every place they set foot and disappear as soon as their “boss” hops on their fuel guzzlers and exits the scene.
Kenyans online showed how a youthful crowd claimed to be paid to accompany President William Ruto’s visit to Mathare on Tuesday, in his Nairobi region tour, were on a rampage mission against area residents.
They were seen mugging everyone they met along Juja Road and some even hijacked motorists along the Thika Super Highway.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has apprehended suspects behind the robberies as it commenced a crackdown to apprehend all those involved.
John Junior Oginga, who is said to have been armed with a knife when he attacked and robbed an unsuspecting individual of an Oppo A77S mobile phone valued at Ksh.28,000, was apprehended along the highway and was escorted to Pangani Police Station.
Seven other suspects behind a string of robberies in Mathare Area 4 were arrested.
Despite silence from political leaders on the matter, Kenyans online reported cases of being attacked along the busy superhighway at around midday.
The same was seen in a video shared by X influencer Francis Gaitho showing a group of youthful Kenyans with bodabodas camping close to State House.
Gaitho claimed that they were hired crowds and were supposed to escort President Ruto on his Eastleigh tour on Monday.
“They were promised Kshs.10,000 each but were only given Ksh.1,000 prompting them to breach the perimeter and demand their dues,” he claimed.
“But Ruto is trying to snooker them with his propagandists claiming they’re unknown youth who attempted to gain entry at the State House.”
One of them was even heard saying “We are at State House waiting to get our money.”
Claims of money being used to attract the masses seem to be true as more videos are surfacing with reports of handouts being given to young crowds.
A video shared by X user @James041 on Tuesday showed a team of young Kenyans outside Kibra country offices saying “We do not want that Ksh.4 million, we want jobs.”
James claimed that a Member of Parliament had received Ksh.4 million from President Ruto to mobilise them ahead of his visit to the area.
This was not an isolated case as President Ruto was similarly heckled in Isiolo during an Aggregation and Industrial Park.
The interrupting crows vexed the Head of State prompting a harsh censure.
President Ruto claimed that some had been sent by drug dealers to heckle, warning of increased trafficking from neighbouring counties.
“I am aware the drug dealers have sent the youth to come and make noise in this meeting. Be warned young people, you can’t threaten the government. A foreigner cannot come and turn Isiolo into a drug den. It won’t happen,” Ruto said.
Blame game
In February, President Ruto visited Isiolo for an Aggregation and Industrial Park project where a group of youths heckled him during a roadside rally, prompting a harsh censure from the Head of State.
“I am aware the drug dealers have sent the youth to come and make noise in this meeting. Be warned young people, you can’t threaten the government. A foreigner cannot come and turn Isiolo into a drug den. It won’t happen,” Ruto said.
Fifty youths were arrested during a subsequent security operation and were released after pleading guilty to charges of being drunk and disorderly.
His former Deputy Rigathi Gachagua, was forced to flee from a burial service in Limuru, Kiambu County, in November 2024, after goons disrupted the event.
The goons stormed the event, causing chaos by bringing down the tents and destroying the setup and later pelted his convoy as he drove to safety.
Gachagua accused Kiambu MP John Kiragu of being behind the, pointing out that he sat away from the VIP tent and was on his phone for the majority of the event. Gachagua also claimed that the same attackers were later seen escorting the MP to safety after the violence broke out.
“Videos show the attackers escorting the area MP after the incident. You don’t need rocket science to connect the dots,” he remarked.
Gachagua criticized the state’s use of goons to manage politics, warning that it could destabilize the country.
Police Inspector General Douglas Kanja also alleged that anti-government protests in June and July 2025 were infiltrated by hired goons masquerading as protesters
In a separate protest, pro-government protesters had easy access to the CBD, with police virtually standing by and allowing them to carry on with their activities.
They were first observed at fueling stations in the CBD where scores of young men on their motorbikes, appeared to congregate around vehicles whose occupants appeared to be coordinating the day’s activities.
They seemed to be preparing for a mission and soon after, the mission became clear when the groups converged at Uhuru Park in the CBD.
In an organised manner, the group, then made its way into the centre of the capital riding on their boda bodas, honking, whistling and chanting pro-government slogans.
The placards they carried also showed their intention to counter any anti-government protests that had been anticipated in the city.
The CBD boda bodas accused the pro-government group of looting.
