DPP: Goons behind political violence will face the law

Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Renson Ingonga has warned that individuals involved in goonism, particularly at political gatherings, will face the full force of the law, regardless of their political affiliation.

Speaking during a press conference, Ingonga said incidents of organised violence at political events had become increasingly common, but assured Kenyans that law enforcement agencies were working together to restore order and hold offenders accountable.

"Goonism is at the moment quite common, especially in political gatherings," Ingonga said.

He said the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions was collaborating with the National Police Service, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations and the National Cohesion and Integration Commission to investigate and prosecute those involved in acts of violence and incitement.

"I want to assure Kenyans that anyone found-and in my case, we do not have categories whether it is government or opposition. Ours is Kenyans-anyone found engaging in goonism will be dealt with accordingly," he said.

The DPP added that the crackdown would also target politicians making inflammatory statements capable of inciting violence.

This also applies to the issue of inflammatory statements which are being made by politicians across the divide. We will collaborate with the DCI and NCIC to deal with these characters so that they are brought to book," Ingonga said.

He urged political leaders and members of the public to uphold peace, warning that Kenya could not afford to descend into lawlessness because of the actions of a few individuals.

"We only have one country, and that is Kenya. We should not allow some characters with their own issues to influence good Kenyans to get into a state of anarchy," he said.

"As DPP, I assure Kenyans that this breach of peace will be dealt with accordingly."

Ingonga's remarks come a week after President William Ruto directed security agencies to take firm action against goons and other criminal elements, saying the country must be protected from violence, lawlessness and destruction of property.

Speaking at the time, Ruto said Kenya must adopt a firm stance against criminality and urged security agencies to discharge their constitutional mandate while operating within the law.

"We must call out criminality for what it is. We must secure our country from goons and other criminal elements. Now that we have a consensus on this, our security agencies must do their job within the law. They must do their job, and they must stop criminality," the President said.