When young lives become disposable

Mob justice is eroding the rule of law and endangering Kenya’s youth.

By Dennis Wendo

Young people are increasingly losing their lives on Kenya’s streets in a cycle of crime, confrontation and mob justice that should alarm every citizen. Phone snatching, robbery and other offences must be addressed, but the growing tendency to punish suspected offenders violently, often before facts are established, is equally troubling.

The pattern has become frighteningly predictable: a crime occurs, a crowd gives chase, anger takes over and a young life is lost. This is no longer simply a matter of law and order; it is a public safety and youth crisis. Many of those involved are young people — some accused of crimes, others victims of retaliation, and many vulnerable youths drawn into criminal networks, substance abuse or survival economies. Some are simply caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Reducing the crisis to the label of “criminal youths” risks obscuring deeper realities. Kenya is grappling with a generation facing unemployment, economic pressure and social frustration, while communities grow increasingly intolerant of street crime. Where trust in institutions is weak, frustration can quickly turn into vigilantism. Yet crime cannot justify mob justice, and mob justice cannot be allowed to replace legitimate systems of accountability.

Recent reports of young people killed in suspected mob justice should serve as a wake‑up call. Even where suspicion is genuine, suspicion is not conviction. A crowd cannot be investigator, prosecutor, judge and executioner. Each time a suspected offender is killed, Kenya loses more than one life. Respect for the rule of law is weakened, fear deepens, violence is normalised and tomorrow’s victim may be yesterday’s alleged offender.

The response must go beyond policing after incidents occur. Kenya needs a national conversation on youth, crime, employment, social protection, substance abuse, community policing and access to justice. Police must be equipped to respond quickly to street crime, communities must have reliable channels for reporting, investigations must be credible and timely, and courts must process cases efficiently. At the same time, young people need pathways away from crime — skills development, employment opportunities, mentorship, rehabilitation and meaningful participation in community life.

Civil society and community organisations have a critical role in identifying tensions, documenting violence, engaging vulnerable youth and strengthening trust between communities and security agencies. Parents, schools, religious institutions and local leaders must also be part of the solution.

The political environment cannot be ignored. As Kenya approaches the 2027 General Election, a society accustomed to mob action is vulnerable to organised mobilisation of young people for political confrontation. Preventing today’s street violence is therefore also part of safeguarding tomorrow’s electoral environment.

The most urgent question remains: how many more young lives must be lost before this is treated as a national emergency? Every young Kenyan killed represents a grieving family and a future cut short. Kenya cannot build a secure and cohesive nation while becoming accustomed to youth dying on its streets.

Those who steal must face justice. Those who organise crime must be pursued. Those who attack innocent people must be held accountable. But those accused of offences must not be condemned to death by the crowd. Justice belongs to legitimate institutions, not to the anger of the street.

The present moment calls for urgent action, not another cycle of condemnation after lives have already been lost. Young people need accountability where they offend, protection where they are vulnerable and opportunities that give them reason to choose a different path. Kenya must act before street violence, youth desperation and mob justice become normal features of national life.

Dennis Wendo, governance and social policy commentator, Integrated Development Network (IDN‑Kenya)

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