NAIROBI, Kenya — Tuesday’s protests in Nairobi took a disturbing turn, as eyewitness accounts and observations suggest an apparent collaboration between police officers and hired individuals, operating openly during the demonstrations.
In a scene described as both brazen and unsettling, groups of individuals, believed to be hired goons, arrived on motorbikes. Some were reportedly armed with clubs and whips, engaging in acts of intimidation and violence against innocent passers-by, seemingly under the visible approval of security forces.
Questions have since arisen regarding the orchestrators behind these organized groups. The National Police Service (NPS), whose long-standing slogan is ‘Service to all,’ appeared to cede some of its public order roles to these unidentified gangs on the streets of Nairobi.
Observers noted police officers operating alongside these individuals, who were armed with jembe, sticks, and other crude weapons, appearing as “comrades-at-arms.”
The gangs exhibited a sense of empowerment and boldness, taking frontline positions in confronting protestors, seemingly under the direct patronage of law enforcement officers.
This arrangement suggested a “perfect embedding of two formations serving a common goal” – to suppress any protests in Nairobi.
This alleged armed collaboration emerges just days after Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja hinted at measures to deter protestors from the city’s streets.
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“This country must be a country under the rule of law. Let them not try again—they’ll find me in town!” Sakaja had previously stated.
The apparent collaboration between police and hired individuals marks a concerning turning point in the country’s management of public order. Critics argue that the lines between established law and “laws of the jungle” were blurred as these individuals seemingly assumed police roles under the supervision of uniformed officers.
Such an alliance between police and non-state actors was reportedly documented during past protests in Kakamega, Kericho, and Uasin Gishu counties, where allegedly hired civilians appeared with new jembe sticks to confront anti-government protestors.
The events of Tuesday 17, June 2025 are being viewed by some as a dangerous descent for the rule of law, raising fears that accountability for these brazen acts of “policing by hired goons” may prove elusive.
