NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 13 – The Law Society of Kenya (LSK) has vowed to pursue sponsors and organisers of political violence with what it termed “bulldog tenacity,” following the disruption of a civil society budget dialogue forum in Nairobi.LSK President Charles Kanjama said Kenya can only confront the growing problem of “goonism” by holding not only perpetrators accountable, but also those who finance, direct and facilitate such acts.“The effective way to address the growth of goonism, whether by members of the National Police Service or by irregular groups, is to pursue accountability for the perpetrators and particularly their sponsors, accessories and principals, with bulldog tenacity, until they are held to account,” Kanjama said.“Regardless of how high or to who the chain of accountability goes.”Kanjama said the LSK would work closely with human rights defenders and civil society organizations to ensure those behind acts of political violence and intimidation are identified and prosecuted.“This Law Society of Kenya will undertake henceforth, in coordination with human rights defenders and civil society organisations. It is time we said ENOUGH to the goonism phenomenon and meant it,” he stated.His remarks came a day after a post-budget dialogue forum at All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi was violently disrupted by a group of individuals, prompting condemnation from civil society organizations and governance advocates.NCCK condemns disruption of post-budget forum at All Saints Cathedral by ‘state-sponsored goons’The forum had brought together representatives from civil society, faith-based organizations, the private sector and members of the public to discuss the Sh4.8 trillion 2026/27 national budget presented by Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi.‘State-hired goons’According to Transparency International Kenya (TI-Kenya), the meeting was interrupted by individuals it described as “state-hired goons” who stormed the venue while participants were examining whether the budget reflected citizens’ priorities.The organization said one suspect was arrested and allegedly claimed they had been sent by a government official.It also reported that personal belongings, including a mobile phone, were stolen during the incident.“We condemn this act of intimidation and assert that it will not deter us from scrutinizing the budget. We will continue to demand that the interests of the people of Kenya be at the forefront,” TI-Kenya said.The Institute for Social Accountability (TISA) described the attack as a direct assault on constitutional rights and democratic participation.“Goons cannot silence the people’s voice,” TISA said, warning that the growing use of organized groups to disrupt lawful civic activities poses a serious threat to democracy and accountability.The Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) also condemned the disruption, insisting that civil society organizations would continue scrutinizing government policies and budget allocations despite attempts at intimidation.The incident has renewed concerns over what rights groups describe as an emerging pattern of organized violence targeting public forums, protests and civic engagement activities.