For as little as Sh500, a young man in Kenya can be hired to hurl stones, cause chaos during peaceful protests, shout down a speaker at a political meeting, among other “services”.

Those tasked with protecting a politician’s convoy can earn up to Sh1,500, while others deployed to seize contested land, guard illegal businesses, or “discipline” rivals take home between Sh2,000 and Sh5,000 per job.

Such are the rates in the murky world of goons, the unhinged youth who, for a pittance and a drug dose, are ready to put their lives on the line for the whims of political operatives, business magnates and land barons.

Operating under a ragtag chain of command and sometimes paying for their activities with injuries or worse, some don’t like the task, but there is little else they can do. A number of them spoke to a team of researchers for a newly released report, and one recurring explanation was: “I am in it for the money.”

The report, titled “Goonland: Looking Beyond the Money and Violence in the Political Exploitation of Young Men”, also reveals how women are used as mules to transport weapons. Sometimes, even vehicles by security agencies serve the same purpose.

The report was prepared by research firm Odipodev and Tribeless Youth, a network that promotes peaceful coexistence among Kenyan youth. It noted that money changes hands in cash, usually at a petrol station or outside a pub. No receipts, no names, no questions. Payment depends on risk and visibility. Those at the frontline earn the least while those who organise and recruit pocket the most.

What emerges from it is that there is a shadow labour market where political and business interests tap into the desperation of unemployed youth to purchase violence on demand.

Photo credit: Nation Media Group

For instance, disrupting peaceful protests, infiltrating demos to create an impression of chaos, or p