NAIROBI, Kenya- Police have been deployed to Kabati along the Embu-Nairobi highway in Murang’a County after a group of suspected goons attacked motorists, raising fresh concerns over the spread of road attacks and insecurity across Kenya.
The Saturday incident saw the group pelt motorists with stones and block sections of the busy highway.
Locals who spoke to Y News said the men were demanding money from motorists before allowing them to proceed.
Residents said the group was not known to be from the area, raising questions about where the men came from and how they were able to disrupt traffic along a major national highway.
The incident comes amid growing incidents of armed or violent groups blocking roads, attacking motorists and disrupting political activities in different parts of the country.
It also comes days after Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen dismissed concerns over an alleged nationwide goon crisis, insisting that Kenya remains safe.
“There is no crisis in Kenya. Kenya is safe. Stop hyping it. Stop creating a crisis that is not there. It’s a figment of your imagination. Kenya is safe and will continue being safe,” Murkomen said.
The CS also questioned why politicians would proceed to areas where police had warned of the presence of goons.
“If you know there are goons in Homa Bay, and the police have already told you that someone has mobilised goons, why are you going there? Why don’t you go home and organise another meeting? Why are you forcing yourself?” he said.
Murkomen’s remarks have drawn criticism, particularly from Kenyans concerned about a series of violent incidents reported in recent months.
In Homa Bay on August 16, two AFP journalists, Fred Ooko and Brian Ongoro, were assaulted by armed youths while covering tensions surrounding the Linda Mwananchi political rally.
Their press cards, cameras, driving licences and other belongings were taken.
Reporters Without Borders later said at least eight journalists were assaulted and media vehicles vandalised during the Homa Bay violence, warning that attacks on journalists were occurring as Kenya approaches the 2027 General Election.
The violence has not been confined to western Kenya.
During the July 16 Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election in Nyandarua County, masked and armed men were reported to have moved through the town in SUVs, fired shots into the air and used tear gas as residents fled.
Journalists were among those targeted, with The Star photographer Enos Teche assaulted and his camera seized.
The Media Council of Kenya, and the Kenya Editors Guild and Kenya Union of Journalists condemned the attacks and called for investigations. ARTICLE 19 also described the violence as a serious threat to media freedom.
There have also been incidents of suspected goons disrupting traffic on major roads.
In July, suspected thugs reportedly blocked sections of Nairobi’s Thika Superhighway near Pangani, leaving motorists and commuters stranded.
The emerging pattern has therefore moved beyond political rallies, with ordinary motorists and members of the public increasingly reporting encounters with groups demanding money or violently obstructing roads.
The latest incident in Kabati will likely renew questions over whether the country is facing isolated cases of criminality or a wider security challenge requiring a coordinated response from the National Police Service.
