Verbal Irony in the Discourse of Sungusungu Vigilantism in Suneka Township, Kisii County, Kenya

Abstract

When the state cannot provide adequate security, or citizens do not trust the state to do so, alternatives have been sought. In most cases, the alternatives lie in the nexus between the rich and the poor who opt for private security companies or vigilante groups (or gangs) respectively. Vigilantes have dominated security spaces in urban slums and rural areas in Kenya. This paper focuses on the discourse of Sungusungu vigilante groups in Kisii with reference to the Suneka township from the late 1990s to the present. The study that directed this paper was qualitative. Primary data were obtained using in-depth interviews, while secondary data were collected through a review of relevant literature. Irony was revealed through the way Sungusungu managed to control crime considerably within the short time of their emergence in Kisii, which the state had failed to address adequately. Thus, resenting attitudes were expressed towards the state. Secondly, after controlling crime rates, Sungusungu ironically engaged in the same crimes, besides degenerating into other illegal activities, including extortion, torture and illegal arrests. Consequently, the government dissociated from Sungusungu, banned them and reorganised community policing groups. Strangely, some members of Sungusungu found their way into community policing groups. Over time, Sungusungu have been associated with different identities, including community policing and Nyumba Kumi (Ten Households) on the one hand, and terror groups, underground movements, extortionists and “these people” on the other hand. There is no clear-cut identity difference between Sungusungu and community policing. As a result, the term “sungusungu” has been used as a generic identity for community policing, Nyumba Kumi or any group of people who partner with the state in the maintenance of social order in the community. Still, the debate around Sungusungu, community policing and Nyumba Kumi remains fluid and hazy, and as Kenya approaches the 2022 general elections, Sungusungu are getting involved in the murky waters of politics.