Stop the Goonism: Opposition Leaders Warn of Slipping Democracy Amid Rising Political Violence

United Alternative Government principals led by Kalonzo Musyoka, Martha Karua, and JB Muturi address the press in Nairobi on political violence.

By Maximilla Wafula 

The United Alternative Government (UAG) has strongly condemned a rising wave of political violence in Kenya, warning that growing political intolerance threatens to dismantle the country’s hard-won democratic gains. Speaking to the media in Nairobi on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, UAG principals H.E. Kalonzo Musyoka, Hon. JB Muturi, and Hon. Martha Karua raised an alarm over a series of violent disruptions targeting political and public gatherings.

The opposition leaders specifically highlighted recent weekend clashes in Kisumu and Nyahururu. The Kisumu confrontation reportedly unfolded around a church service attended by opposition figures, while Nyahururu saw chaotic scenes that left property destroyed. The alliance termed these attacks a direct assault on the rule of law and national cohesion, demanding immediate, independent, and transparent investigations to hold the planners and perpetrators accountable.

"Our answer to violence must never be more violence," the coalition statement read. "Our answer must be justice, constitutionalism, and the rule of law."

A major point of concern for the UAG is the perceived bias of state security machinery. The principals accused the police of failing to act on previous attacks, including an April incident in Kikuyu where opposition leaders were targeted. The leaders strongly petitioned the National Police Service (NPS) to execute its constitutional mandate impartially. They further called upon the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to guarantee a free, fair, and peaceful environment during the upcoming by-election in Ol Kalou, noting that the security forces deployed must remain entirely neutral and reject any unlawful orders.

UAG cautioned against normalizing "goonism" and retaliatory violence, reminding political actors that ordinary citizens always pay the highest price. Hon. JB Muturi urged young Kenyans to reject being recruited as political mercenaries, emphasizing that it is local traders whose businesses are looted, boda boda riders whose motorcycles are burnt, and families who lose loved ones when violence is allowed to thrive.