,Cytonn Investments CEO Edwin Dande has weighed in on the controversy surrounding Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen’s remarks after chaos disrupted a Linda Mwananchi rally in Homa Bay, offering a pointed take on the government’s warning about political goons.
Dande said Murkomen’s advice for Kenyans to avoid areas where goons are expected to operate was reasonable, arguing that people should not deliberately put themselves in situations where violence is anticipated.
“I think the advice to avoid goons is REASONABLE, why would anyone knowingly court trouble?” Dande stated.
His remarks come amid debate over Murkomen’s questioning of why Linda Mwananchi organisers proceeded with their Homa Bay activities despite allegedly being aware of threats and the possible mobilisation of goons.
However, Dande challenged the practicality of the Interior CS’s position, arguing that citizens cannot be expected to avoid suspected troublemakers without access to reliable and timely information about where they are likely to be deployed.
“For the advice to be actionable, Onesimus Kipchumba Murkomen should be releasing a daily nationwide schedule of where various goons are scheduled to be so that we avoid them,” he said.
Dande’s comments inject a dose of irony into the debate while raising a broader question about the government’s responsibility for public security.
His argument suggests that if security agencies possess credible intelligence showing that particular groups are preparing to disrupt political gatherings, such information should inform preventive security measures rather than merely become a warning to citizens and political organisers.
The Cytonn chief executive further argued that the responsibility could reasonably shift to organisers if authorities provided specific and credible information about planned violence and the organisers nevertheless chose to proceed.
“If he releases the schedule but we still go there, then for sure we are to blame,” Dande added.
The remarks come as the Homa Bay confrontation continues to generate political debate over the role of security agencies, political mobilisation and responsibility for violence at public gatherings.
The incident has also intensified scrutiny of Murkomen’s handling of political violence, particularly his assertion that organisers who knowingly proceed to areas where goons are expected should bear some responsibility for the consequences.
Dande’s intervention highlights the tension at the centre of the debate: while citizens have a responsibility to exercise caution, the government retains the primary duty of maintaining security and preventing violence at lawful public gatherings.