NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) 鈥� political word of the moment is 鈥済oonism,鈥� frequently uttered by national leaders to convey annoyance at the gangs that intimidate those whose political activities they oppose.
Supporters of , who is seeking a second term in elections next year, use the phrase to describe the political violence that authorities will not tolerate. Opposition figures use it to condemn what they see as Ruto鈥檚 aggressive 鈥� and underhanded 鈥� campaign tactics.
At times it can seem as if goonism is up against goonism, an unwelcome turn of events in this East African nation where the contest for political power is becoming ever more vigorous and tinged with a sense of danger.
Many Kenyans doubt Ruto’s commitment to the religious values he espoused before taking power in 2022.
Ruto vowed to raise a kind of born-again Christian nation, fearful of God and at peace with itself.
But as president, he appears to have benefited from the lawlessness that is now a national scourge as religious and political leaders warn that political violence threatens democratic gains. His critics charge that such chaos rises in part from .
鈥淕oons, goons, goons,鈥� yelled preacher Wilfred Lai during a recent Sunday sermon in which he lamented what had befallen Kenya. 鈥淓veryone who wants to rule this country by that kind of thing, I speak as a prophet of God: You shall fall.鈥�
He added: 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 use goons and you are telling us that you are taking us into a better place. You are a liar and the truth is not in you.鈥�
Although Lai, the pastor of a megachurch in the coastal city of Mombasa, didn’t mention Ruto by name, many Kenyans suspect he had the president in mind when he gave that sermon, parts of which were shared online.
Some former supporters say Ruto has betrayed Christian values
Lai is among evangelical preachers who embraced Ruto when he was vice president and seeking to replace President Uhuru Kenyatta, whose backing he didn’t have. At the time, Ruto was widely seen as a pious politician.
Ruto said he was fighting for the downtrodden, for those whose manual labor put food on the table. The leader 鈥� nicknamed 鈥淣abii,鈥� Kiswahili for 鈥淕od鈥檚 prophet鈥� 鈥� said he had risen so high in politics by the grace of God, unlike rivals he depicted as the entitled sons of political dynasties. Ruto won .
For many of his supporters, however, Ruto changed as soon as he won the presidency.
Although he continued to go to church on Sundays, some noticed that he stopped carrying the Bible and no longer quoted it regularly. His decision to demolish a chapel within the compound of the statehouse 鈥� to be replaced by a modern facility 鈥� was criticized by some as self-aggrandizing. Others saw betrayal in Ruto鈥檚 months after his inauguration.
of Nairobi, the capital, forcing authorities to withdraw some tax proposals but not quite cooling popular anger. Ruto later faced more protests triggered by .
Although the protests failed to remove Ruto, they left him wounded and determined to show strength. While his position remains precarious ahead of next year鈥檚 vote, some of his adversaries admit he is cunning and still hard to defeat.
After protesters in 2024, Ruto vowed that such a thing would never happen again. Last year, facing protesters who held placards saying 鈥淩uto must go,鈥� the president urged the police to and said he was going nowhere.
鈥淚f we go this route, we will not have a country,鈥� Ruto said in a televised address. 鈥淭he country belongs to all of us. And if there鈥檚 no country for William Ruto, there鈥檚 no country for you.鈥�
Some saw that as a veiled threat, and some opposition figures suspect the gangs materializing at opposition events are sponsored by the state.
鈥淲e must say no, collectively, to the new specter, the new norm, of goonism,鈥� Kalonzo Musyoka, a prominent opposition figure, told a local broadcaster. 鈥淭he goons are very well-known. So for anybody to pretend that it is the work of united opposition, he really must be ashamed, even before God, that this is state-sponsored.鈥�
Political violence is on the rise
Men armed with machetes and guns can break up political rallies or prevent them from commencing. While opposition figures accuse authorities of fomenting violence, Interior Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen recently warned goons that 鈥渟ince the politician won鈥檛 be with you when you commit the crime, we鈥檒l come for you.鈥�
Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, Ruto’s ally, said last month that 鈥渢he culture of goonism has no place in a democratic society.鈥�
In a notable event last month, an opposition lawmaker from western Kenya was manhandled in a restaurant by men questioning his political views. Sen. Godfrey Osotsi鈥檚 injuries required hospitalization. The attack sparked protests in his home area and was condemned by religious leaders.
Ruto hasn’t given up on church leaders 鈥� whose influence cuts across social networks 鈥� in his quest to retain power. His choice of where to pray on a given Sunday may be unpredictable. Sometimes church leaders, from Methodist to Pentecostal pastors, congregate near him at the statehouse.
Other religious leaders are critical, provoked most recently by insults traded between Ruto and his former deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, who fell out with the president, was impeached and now is the leader of the Wantam movement to make Ruto a one-term president.
Their exchanges can be venomous.
In March, after Gachagua called Ruto a thief who would steal a funeral home, the president called Gachagua a 鈥渃old-blooded pig鈥� who stole from his brother.
Days later, the head of the local conference of Catholic primates, Archbishop Maurice Muhatia, rebuked Ruto and Gachagua at a gathering of bishops. 鈥淒isagreement is OK, but insulting each other in public is a disgrace,鈥� Muhatia said. 鈥淕ive us a break.鈥�
Expert warns that election could turn 鈥榲ery bloody’
Kenyan elections are often fractious affairs. There was a violent gang, known as Mungiki, that played a role in .
There is a pervasive sense this time that more is at stake, with a president who won鈥檛 back down. Some worry that Ruto is verging on authoritarianism, unlike his recent predecessors.
, Kenya鈥檚 fourth president, is a jolly man who tolerated internal opposition from Ruto while they served together. , whom Kenyatta replaced, was a gentleman who once called a news conference to deny he had a second wife.
Kenya’s current president is different, and goonism is 鈥渁 product of gangster theology鈥� of which Ruto is the high priest, said Christine Mungai, an independent writer based in Nairobi.
Ruto has mastered 鈥渉ow to perform public piety鈥� while simultaneously working 鈥渢o make life harder for everyone,鈥� she said.
It isn’t clear who Ruto’s main election opponent will be. It could be Musyoka or Fred Matiang鈥檌, a former cabinet secretary for the interior. While Gachagua is likely ineligible to seek the presidency after his impeachment, his support will be crucial for the opposition.
If Ruto and opposition figures don’t tone down the rhetoric 鈥渢he election is going to be very bloody,鈥� said Karuti Kanyinga, a Kenyan development scholar who is a visiting professor at Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study in South Africa. 鈥淓veryone will have their own protection gangs.鈥�
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