Two people, including a police officer, were killed and 46 others injured during violent clashes that disrupted the Linda Mwananchi rally in Homa Bay Town on Sunday.
The dead included a police driver attached to the Nyando police command and a Ugandan woman who was allegedly run over by a speeding vehicle during the chaos.
Police said the officer was driving a police vehicle at high speed when he was struck by a flying stone.
He died on the spot, while his superior, who was travelling in the same vehicle, sustained serious injuries and was admitted to hospital.
Officials at the Homa Bay County Teaching and Referral Hospital said the woman, identified as a Ugandan national, was taken to the facility after being run over by a vehicle but died while receiving treatment.
Of the 46 injured, seven were reported to be in critical condition, while four sustained gunshot wounds during attacks on members of the Linda Mwananchi team as they made their way into Homa Bay Town from Sindo in Suba South.
Most of the victims suffered deep panga cuts on various parts of their bodies.
The injured were initially taken to the Homa Bay County Teaching and Referral Hospital for first aid before being transferred to private health facilities in the region for further treatment amid an ongoing nurses’ strike.
The violence also left a trail of destruction, with at least six vehicles torched after armed youths barricaded the Homa Bay-Mbita road from Lala to Junction Kodoyo, apparently in an attempt to prevent the Linda Mwananchi team from accessing Homa Bay Town.
Among the vehicles set ablaze was one belonging to Mediamax Network Limited, which was targeted as journalists covering the rally came under attack.
A public address vehicle belonging to Bungoma Governor George Natembeya was also torched.
K24 journalists Francis Mwangi and Evans Okeyo were among journalists attacked at around 7 pm.
Several pieces of media equipment were vandalised or stolen, while Mwangi sustained serious injuries and was taken to hospital.
The torched vehicles were later towed to Homa Bay Police Station as investigations continued.
The violence also spilt into religious premises, with armed youths invading the headquarters of the Seventh-day Adventist Church’s Lake Victoria Field in Lala village along the Homa Bay-Mbita road.
The attackers damaged buildings and vehicles parked at the compound.
Lake Victoria Field president Pastor Samson Okwach said property of unknown value was destroyed during the attack. He condemned the violence and urged Homa Bay leaders to embrace dialogue to prevent further loss of life and destruction of property.
The clashes followed a tense weekend in Homa Bay, with violence reported as early as Saturday night when a group of youths allegedly attacked Homa Bay Tourist Hotel.
The youths, said to have been dressed in ODM attire and riding motorcycles, allegedly smashed windows, destroyed property and stole valuables. Police are investigating the incident.
The Linda Mwananchi team also encountered resistance in Nyandiwa, Suba South, where youths armed with stones and sticks allegedly blocked roads leading to a church where the group was scheduled to attend a service.
The blockade forced the leaders to cancel their planned worship service.
Tensions remained high on Sunday in both Homa Bay Town and Oyugis.
In Oyugis, youths lit bonfires along the main highway, disrupting traffic, while in Homa Bay Town, groups of youths barricaded roads leading to the town centre with stones.
Journalists covering the events were also caught up in the violence.
Two Royal Media Services journalists were among four media workers attacked while attempting to cover the movement of the Linda Mwananchi team into Homa Bay Town.
Their vehicle was vandalised, and valuables were reportedly stolen.
Another vehicle was torched several kilometres from Homa Bay Town as Linda Mwananchi leaders approached the town centre, while several other vehicles were vandalised before police and supporters of the group managed to repel the attackers.
Former Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati’s convoy was also attacked at Asumbi Junction as he travelled towards Nyandiwa.
The escalating violence prompted a security operation in which 17 people were arrested over suspected involvement in the unrest.
The attacks and destruction have sparked condemnation, with calls for the government to hold those responsible to account and undertake reforms within the country’s security sector.
The incidents have also renewed concerns over the growing use of political violence to disrupt rallies and intimidate journalists and political opponents ahead of the 2027 General Election.
