DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa has strongly condemned what he describes as state-sponsored violence targeting opposition leaders and worshippers, following chaotic scenes at a Nairobi church and recent by-elections.
In a statement released on Monday, December 1, Wamalwa expressed grave concern over incidents of violence witnessed during the just-concluded by-elections in Malava and Mbeere North, as well as the disruption of a church service in Kariobangi North on Sunday, November 30, 2025.
The DAP-K leader particularly denounced the violence that erupted at the PCEA Church in Kariobangi, where former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, DCP candidate, and other leaders were attending a thanksgiving service. The incident reportedly affected worshippers, including Sunday school children.
Wamalwa painted a disturbing picture of what he termed an ‘unholy alliance’ between the government and criminal elements, coining the term ‘Goonverment’ to describe the current state of affairs.
"There's a dangerous phenomenon developing in the affairs of our national politics where the Government has gotten into an unholy alliance with goons and become a 'Goonverment'," Wamalwa stated.
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He warned that the collaboration between goons and police to terrorize perceived enemies or critics of the state poses an existential threat to Kenya's democracy. According to Wamalwa, such violence violates the principles of free and fair elections enshrined in Article 81 of the Constitution.
"For elections to be free and fair, they must be free from violence, intimidation, and corruption," he emphasized.
The opposition leader drew a stark comparison between Kenya's current trajectory and failed states, warning that the country risks descending into chaos if the trend continues.
"Where 'Goonverment' takes over from Government, as has happened with the Ruto Regime, the country ceases to be governed by the rule of law and becomes a Gangster Republic and a failed State like Haiti where the law of the jungle and goons rule," Wamalwa cautioned.
He accused the National Police Service of elevating goons to the status of ‘private state-sponsored militias,’ facilitating what he described as the privatization of violence.
"Instead of goon suppression there's goon support, instead of goon elimination there is goon elevation by the National Police Service," he charged.
The violence at PCEA Church in Kariobangi North has sparked a war of words between political leaders and law enforcement authorities.
Former Deputy President Gachagua accused President William Ruto of deploying state forces and hired groups to intimidate the public and target political opponents. He claimed that two supporters of the DCP candidate were shot and seriously wounded during the confrontation.
"It is unfortunate and disturbing that Mr William Ruto is turning Kenya into a militia country where women, children, and churches have become his key targets of lethal attacks," Gachagua stated.
He alleged that the attack was retaliatory, aimed at punishing Kariobangi North residents for rejecting a UDA candidate in the recent by-elections.
The National Police Service has offered a different account of the incident, stating that the disturbance arose from clashes between two groups of youths during the Thanksgiving service for a newly elected ward representative.
According to the NPS, officers intervened after detecting a large group of rowdy youths armed with crude weapons attempting to force their way into the church. When another group approached to confront the first, the police moved in to prevent violence.
"Police moved in quickly to quell the escalating situation, which regrettably spilled into the church, temporarily disrupting the service," the NPS statement read.
The service confirmed that six individuals sustained injuries and were hospitalized, describing the nature of the disturbances as both planned and premeditated.
The Nairobi Regional Police Commander and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations have been directed to thoroughly investigate the incident.
