PREMIUM Anatomy of a goon: The concealed economy fuelling political violence News Just now Listen
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation A 2025 report by Odipodev and Tribeless Youth, Goonland: Looking Beyond the Money and Violence in the Political Exploitation of Young Men, paints a disturbing picture of an informal labour market where violence is bought and sold.
That is the anatomy of Kenya’s growing “goon economy”—not always hardened criminals, but often unemployed young men, and occasionally women, navigating an economy where political mobilisation has become a dependable source of income.
The Jukwaa la Usalama report launched in December 2025 documented more than 130 gangs operating in Nairobi alone and hundreds more across the country involved in political violence, extortion, land invasions and organised crime.
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