Willis Otieno decries repression, says state losing legitimacy amid crackdown on dissent
By Emmanuel Rono, April 26, 2026Safina Party Deputy Leader Willis Otieno has criticised the government, accusing it of escalating repression against citizens and opposition leaders.
Taking to his X account on Saturday, April 25, 2027, Otieno claimed the current leadership is increasingly resorting to force and intimidation to silence dissenting voices.
He warned that such actions threaten democratic space in the country.
“We will not tolerate a regime that treats its own citizens as enemies and deploys hired muscle to enforce silence,” Otieno wrote.
Suppression of civic participation
According to Otieno, what began as disruptions of political rallies has evolved into more serious incidents, including assaults on elected leaders, disruptions of press conferences, and what he termed as violent suppression of civic participation.
He further argued that a government that resorts to such tactics undermines its own legitimacy.
“What began as the disruption of political rallies has now metastasized into outright assaults on elected leaders, the brazen crashing of press conferences, and the violent suppression of civic participation,” Otieno stated.
” A government that fears its people to this extent forfeits any claim to legitimacy, replacing dialogue with intimidation and accountability with brute force,” he added.
Opposition leaders on goonism
This comes amid rising political tensions in the country, with opposition leaders increasingly accusing authorities of shrinking democratic space.
Matiang’i stated that the reason political goonism is on the rise is the inaction of those in authority.
Speaking on Saturday, April 25, 2026, at Tonga SDA Church in Nyamaiya, Nyamira County, during a thanksgiving service, Matiang’i said it was wrong for police officers to look the other way while politicians continue to perpetrate goonism.
“This morning, before I came here, I passed by a hospital in Kisii to check on a young man who was injured by goons. As I was leaving the hospital, I met police officers at the hospital’s entrance as they pursued the case. I told them they cannot keep looking the other way while politicians who claim to be friends of those in government continue to perpetrate and sponsor goonism,” Matiang’i said.