The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party Leader and Siaya Senator Oburu Oginga has called for an end to the entrenched culture of political “goonism.” He warned that the practice of hiring individuals to disrupt public events poses a serious threat to democratic processes and public order in the country.
Speaking at State House, Nairobi, during the presentation of the Framework for Reparations for Victims of Human Rights Violations to President William Ruto by the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR), Dr Oginga stated that the problem had reached alarming proportions.
“We have very many goons. Almost every politician nowadays recruits goons to disrupt functions. Goons are being hired by both sides. These ones hire them today, tomorrow you go and hire them, and you pay them. This culture of goonism must be stopped completely,” he asserted.
Oburu painted a troubling picture of a mercenary culture that has taken root in Kenya’s political landscape, where hired individuals operate fluidly, loyal only to whoever pays them at any given moment.
While condemning goonism, Dr Oburu also advocated for a clear legal framework governing public demonstrations, arguing that Kenyans deserve both the right to protest and the protection to do so safely.
“We need a framework to operationalise the Constitution, providing clear legislation for demonstrations, picketing, and public assemblies, so Kenyans can demonstrate peacefully, protected by their own police, because they are the ones who pay them,” he explained.
He affirmed the right to demonstrate but was equally firm that peaceful protest means precisely that: no weapons, no violence, and no provocation.
“When you go to the street, you do not carry a machete, a stone, or any weapon at all. You just go to the street peacefully. And if you see anybody carrying a knife or a stone, know that that is a goon,” he stated.
Oburu took the opportunity to express satisfaction with the government’s commitment to addressing human rights. He revealed that this had been a non-negotiable priority when the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga joined President Ruto’s broad-based arrangement.
“I am very happy that President William Ruto and my brother worked closely on human rights. When we joined this broad-based arrangement, human rights was a key concern. In our ten-point agenda, human rights takes precedence over all other agreed issues,” he said.
Paying tribute to his late brother, Oburu described Raila as a man who dedicated the greater part of his life to the struggle for human rights and national liberation.
“My brother Raila Odinga held human rights very dearly to his heart, and he fought for it. Half of his life was dedicated to fighting for human rights and the liberation of our country,” he said emotionally.
He said reparations represent a recognition extended to families of victims, rather than compensation in the true sense. Instead, they are an acknowledgement of their sacrifice and a national apology for lives lost in the pursuit of the freedoms Kenyans enjoy today.
He expressed hope that the process, being overseen by the KNCHR following court guidance, would reach all deserving families swiftly and that Kenya would never again witness the kind of human rights violations that necessitated it.
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