NAIROBI, Kenya – Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris has stirred public debate after suggesting a radical approach in which organised youth gangs commonly referred to as goons could be invited to State House.
In a panel discussion, the politician called for a direct engagement between the goons and the Head of State in an effort to address rising concerns over urban criminality and political violence.
Speaking on the issue, Passaris argued that many of the young people involved in organised street violence are excluded from formal employment pathways such as the National Youth Service (NYS) and even police recruitment, stating that they are ‘beyond hiring’ through conventional systems and require alternative forms of state intervention.
“A lot of our goons are beyond hiring for NYS and beyond the age of hiring for Police. But we can streamline them,” she stated.
“I’d like to see a day when the President open State House and has a day with all the goons of Nairobi because the State House has now become a place for the citizens.”
She further linked the surge of goonism to widespread unemployment, warning that economic hardship has created fertile ground for exploitation by political actors who allegedly mobilise and finance criminal groups to disrupt public order.
At the same time, Passaris called for firm action from the security apparatus, urging Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen to construct a watertight case against organised gangs.
She insisted that investigations must be comprehensive and that those implicated should be swiftly brought to justice.
Her remarks come amid heightened scrutiny of the role of organised gangs in recent episodes of political violence, with authorities under pressure to dismantle networks accused of infiltrating protests and undermining public safety.
