Former KNUT Secretary General Wilson Sossion has urged the Interior Ministry to move beyond public condemnation and take decisive legal action against both goons and the politicians who finance them.

Speaking during an interview with a local television station on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, Sossion argued that Kenya already has sufficient laws to deal with politically sponsored violence and that what is lacking is firm enforcement.

“The Ministry of Interior should take full action to criminalise the sponsors and the goons themselves. As a country, we negotiate with a law we have made on how to implement; we don’t need to negotiate,” Sossion said.

His remarks come amid heightened political tension following violent incidents reported in Nyahururu, Kisumu and other parts of the country ahead of the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election.

Goon sponsors must face the law

Sossion maintained that political violence will only end if authorities pursue those financing and organising criminal gangs rather than focusing solely on those hired to carry out attacks.

His latest remarks build on comments he made earlier in the day, where he argued that goons are funded by politicians from across the political divide and should not be associated with one political party or the government alone.

“Goons are not owned by government; they are paid by political leaders of all kinds. We cannot attribute ownership of goons to one political entity or party,” he said.

He urged political leaders to take collective responsibility in ending the culture of hiring criminal gangs for political gain.

Debate over goonism intensifies

Sossion’s comments come as political leaders continue to differ over the definition and source of goonism.

Suba South MP Caroli Omondi recently described goons as hired criminals rather than political activists, saying they are individuals recruited and paid to threaten, intimidate and violently disrupt opponents’ meetings.

“A goon is just a criminal, a common thug. In the history of politics, there have always been goons people who are hired by others to disrupt other people’s engagements,” Omondi said while recounting the violence that disrupted the Linda Mwananchi team’s activities in Nyahururu.

His remarks followed attacks that forced several opposition leaders to flee after violence erupted during political engagements in Nyahururu.

LSK joins calls for accountability

The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has also called for investigations targeting the financiers of political violence instead of only arresting those directly involved in attacks.

LSK President Charles Kanjama urged authorities to pursue sponsors, coordinators and organisers of criminal gangs with what he described as “bulldog tenacity,” saying dismantling the networks behind political violence is the only sustainable solution.

Kanjama further said the society would work with human rights organisations and civil society groups to push for accountability, insisting that ending politically sponsored violence requires prosecuting those who fund, organise and direct the attacks, not just the individuals hired to execute them.