A car burnt down during Linda Mwanainchi rally in Homa Bay town /ROBERT OMOLLO
She had already survived one beating. Now, her life hung in the balance as the attacker approached with murder in his eyes.
"As blood was oozing from her head uncontrollably, a young man who was part of the earlier beatings raised his panga to finish her off," Suba South MP Millie Odhiambo recounted after meeting the survivor.
The woman, an aspiring Woman Representative from a coastal county, had gone to Homa Bay to participate in the Linda Mwananchi rally.
Instead, she found herself fighting for her life at the hands of hired gangs who, security insiders now reveal, included trained former policemen and well-known criminals.
"Some officers in our services were leading the mission. They are the ones who were deflating tyres and hacking innocent Kenyans," said an insider investigating the bloodbath.
According to Millie, the young man who raised his panga to kill was stopped by another woman who knew him. She pleaded for the injured woman's life. The attacker then did something unexpected. He apologised.
"The young man apologised and said he only did that because he is jobless and they were given money and instructed to kill," Millie said.
Security insiders probing the chaos have uncovered a chilling picture of meticulous planning.
A gang of well-trained and armed goons carried out the bloody mayhem that unfolded in Homa Bay.
The operation was planned days in advance. The experienced commanders met Homa Bay based thugs as well as teams ferried in from Kisumu, Kisii and Migori on Thursday and Friday, two days before the attack as part of their familiarisation of the terrain on which they were to operate.
The gangs were organised with military precision and were divided into seven squads and dispatched to key routes to block the movement of the team of Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and his political entourage.
The teams first met outside Raila Odinga Stadium in Homa Bay town before branching out into different directions according to how they were deployed.
The operation was well-funded, according to several of those interviewed. The members bused in from outside the county were each paid between Sh3,000 and Sh4,000 and were handed knives, pangas, screw drivers and sent out to key entry points.
Gang members with motorbikes had their bikes fuelled. A key funder delivered cash for the mission on Sunday morning hours before the turmoil.
Beyond the individual account of the aspiring Woman Representative, Millie said women appeared to have been specifically targeted during the violence.
"This woman and others who spoke were specifically targeted," Millie said. "One lost her security. Some women were reportedly raped."
Police reports indicate 18 people were treated following the violence, with 12 evacuated to Kisumu by ambulance for specialised care. Two patients underwent surgery while another underwent leg amputation.
The deceased included police constable Jim Richardson Onkundi, who was returning from Homa Bay on Sunday night when he was hit by a stone on the right side of his head, near the ear.
He was attached to the Nyando subcounty command. The impact caused the police vehicle he was driving to veer off the road and crash into a house. He was pronounced dead on arrival at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital shortly after midnight on Monday.
A Ugandan woman was also killed after being run over during the chaos. Her identity has not yet been released.
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 for further treatment amid an ongoing nurses' strike.
A Kisumu County Senate staffer was among more than 40 people who were injured in the chaos.
The violence 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.
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.
The united opposition has now issued a call for the International Criminal Court to intervene, accusing the government of overseeing what they term "state-sponsored terrorism."
People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua who read the joint statement called for a peaceful 2027 General Election, saying political competition should be based on ideas and ballots rather than intimidation and violence.
“Those who organise violence should know that the passage of time does not erase responsibility. Political office does not provide immunity,” Karua said.
She said the political environment should allow citizens, journalists, police officers and political actors to exercise their constitutional rights without fear.
“No Kenyan should lose life, their liberty or their property because of politics. No journalist should fear death for carrying a camera. No police officer should be forced to choose between the constitution and political interests,” she said.
