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Violence broke out in western Kenya on Sunday morning as armed groups disrupted streets in Homa Bay ahead of an opposition rally led by the Linda Mwananchi movement and potential presidential contender Edwin Sifuna.
Dozens of men wielding sticks and machetes roamed the town centre, attacking passersby, snatching valuables, lighting tyres, and erecting makeshift barricades along main thoroughfares.
Siaya County Governor James Orengo reported that armed men assaulted convoys travelling to the gathering, warning that “the police have totally surrendered their authority to the goons” amid a complete absence of law enforcement inside the town.
The political clash comes as Kenya prepares for national elections next year, where President William Ruto will seek a second term.
Opposition figures and political observers raised alarms over the growing deployment of hired thugs to intimidate rivals and disrupt public gatherings.
Although Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga insisted that local authorities welcomed all political factions and urged leaders to settle differences “through ideas and the ballot, not confrontation,” opposition leaders maintained that state actors orchestrated the disruption.
National police spokesperson Michael Muchiri issued a public statement reassuring citizens of their safety and confirming the arrest of 15 suspects on Saturday.
Muchiri stated that preliminary investigations identified the detainees as hired criminals intent on disrupting local political events.
Asserting that law enforcement officers remain strictly non-partisan, Muchiri cautioned politicians and event organisers against incitement or any actions likely to breach public order.
