NAIROBI, Kenya — Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has warned of a resurgence of politically sponsored violence in Kenya, cautioning that the country risks sliding back into intimidation tactics as it approaches the 2027 General Election.
Omtatah revisited his near-fatal attack in 2012, saying he was assaulted in Nairobi after opposing the procurement of Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits by the electoral management body.
He described the incident as a direct attack on accountability and democratic expression.
“Many Kenyans still remember the night… when I was brutally attacked and left for dead, simply for daring to oppose the illegal procurement of BVR kits,” he said. “That attack was an assault on accountability itself.”
The senator said similar patterns of intimidation are re-emerging, alleging that politically connected actors are once again sponsoring violence to silence dissent and suppress debate.
“Today, we are witnessing a dangerous resurgence of organized goonism, funded and directed by leaders who fear genuine ideas and open debate,” he said.
He warned that political violence often escalates when accountability mechanisms weaken and when citizens fail to challenge abuse of power early. “Violence has always been the last refuge of those who have already lost the argument,” he added.
Omtatah further condemned the alleged use of hired youths to intimidate critics and disrupt public participation, saying the trend threatens both national security and constitutional order.
“As we approach the 2027 General Election, hired goons are once again being deployed to intimidate voices of reason and courage. I condemn these acts of political violence without reservation,” he said.
He called on law enforcement agencies, including the National Police Service Commission and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations, to act decisively and without bias in addressing politically instigated violence.
“The NPSC and DCI should enforce the law without fear or favour… and, more importantly, relentlessly target the powerful sponsors and financiers of this chaos,” he said.
Omtatah warned that failure to prosecute those behind such violence risks normalising impunity and weakening public trust in democratic institutions.
He also urged political leaders to uphold constitutional values and respect the rule of law, stressing that Kenya’s electoral future must not be determined through coercion or fear.
“The political class should take notice that the people are watching, and the long arm of the law will eventually catch up with those who sponsor violence,” he said.
He further called on Kenyans to defend democratic space and ensure that elections are decided at the ballot and not through intimidation on the streets.
“We owe it to Kenya to ensure that the 2027 elections are decided by the sovereign will of the people at the ballot, not by the tyranny of the streets,” he said.
