Clergymen from the North Rift region, led by Bishop Dr Emmanuel Chemengich, after a meeting in Eldoret on November 13, 2025Bishops from various churches in North Rift are asking the government to crackdown on organised criminal gangs and groups of goons likely to instigate political violence ahead of the next general election.
They have cautioned there is a growing trend where criminal gangs and goons were operating freely in several counties.
The National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) hosted the clergymen for a three-day conference in Eldoret, where they also noted the continued epidemic of insecurity due to banditry in the Kerio Valley and on the borders between the Turkana, Pokot and Marakwet communities.
NCCK North Rift region chairman Bishop Emmanuel Chemengich said they want the government to take seriously all security concerns in the country.
“We note there are rising cases of goonism and organised crimes in different counties that are threatening social cohesion and peaceful living,” he said.
The Ministry of Interior and National Administration, they said should use its instruments to track down persons and systems that drive insecurity and deal with them according to the law.
Chemengich said politicians should also stop the habit of promoting goonism by hiring the organised gangs for political activities.
He said they also want non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders to continue promoting peace in the affected areas by undertaking intra- and inter-community reconciliation initiatives, sensitising the youth so they are not misused by leaders.
“We must also propagate peace messaging from the pulpits and community forums. We in the NCCK will continue to play this role,” Bishop Chemengich said.
He said church leaders must also step up deliberate efforts to ensure Kenyans keep peace and unity at all times.
“We must point out any ills in our society and encourage Kenyans to co-exist in peace and unity without which the country cannot prosper," he said.
The NCCK had also earlier warned over increased incitement by politicians as the country draws near to the next general election.
The umbrella churches organisation cautioned the country may witness increased political violence if the incitement is not stopped.
Chemengich said as clergy, they are concerned that political leaders were carelessly spewing utterances aimed at inciting Kenyans along tribal and regional divisions.
He said premature campaigning with two years to elections would deviate the country from dealing with life-threatening serious matters.
"We have noted with concern that politicians across the board have embarked on intensive early campaigns even though the 2027 elections are still two years away,” he said in a statement he read on behalf of the church leaders.
The NCCK members warned that the hate speech, insults and incitement being spewed out in public rallies, funerals, social media and even in churches are damaging national cohesion and threatening the peace in the country.
“We demand an immediate stop to these divisive campaigns and incitements,” the statement said.
The church leaders also demanded that the National Cohesion and Integration Commission, the Kenya National Commission for Human Rights, the Ombudsman, the security agencies, the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Judiciary take speedy legal measures against all politicians and their supporters, who engage in hate speech or incite people against each other.
“Action should also be taken against any person who hires goons to engage in violence. We remind all inciters and their supporters that their time for reckoning is coming,” Bishop Chemengich said.
The churches also called for deliberate efforts by the government to rekindle hope among Kenyans, who are facing serious economic challenges and social challenges.
“We are deeply concerned about the rising rate of unemployment that has driven many residents in our counties into a sense of hopelessness," the statement said.
"Unemployment is increasing in a context where the traditional alternative of running small and medium businesses is facing many challenges due to unfavourable policies and diminishing expendable incomes.”
Chemengich said the resulting poverty was pushing the youth into criminal activities and many are left with nothing but to wait for handouts from politicians who use them as goons to inflict violence on their competitors.
“If this malady is not resolved, we will be at risk of experiencing violence before, during and after the coming general elections,” he said.
