Siaya Governor James Orengo and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino have raised alarm over what they describe as an orchestrated plan to unleash violence at the upcoming Linda Mwananchi rally set for August 16 in Homa Bay County.
Addressing the media on Wednesday, the leaders claimed they had obtained intelligence suggesting that young people were being organized and equipped with crude weapons such as clubs, machetes, and knives to disrupt the event. Orengo asserted that he was the primary target of the alleged scheme, which he said was being bankrolled by the state through local politicians from Homa Bay.
Suba South MP Caroli Omondi elaborated on the claims, stating that a planning meeting had reportedly taken place at Genoa Center in Homa Bay Town. According to Omondi, the alleged plotters intended to position youths near Kabunde Airstrip under the pretense of conducting voter registration, with the real aim of blocking access routes into the town and preventing rally attendees from reaching the venue. He added that the movement had secured audio recordings from these alleged planning sessions and had forwarded them to security agencies.
The leaders have formally written to the Interior Ministry and the National Police Service requesting protection for the event. Despite the threats, they vowed that the rally would go ahead as scheduled, insisting that their constitutional rights to assembly and political association must be upheld.
The warnings come against a backdrop of recent violent incidents involving Linda Mwananchi members. In May 2026, Orengo’s motorcade was attacked during a tour of Homa Bay, resulting in damaged vehicles. In early July, a convoy in Keumbu, Kisii County, was pelted with stones in an attack that left one person dead and over 20 injured. Shortly afterward, armed youths reportedly tried to interrupt a church service attended by Orengo and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna in Kisumu. The movement also cited a recent assault on its Homa Bay County coordinator, lawyer Samwel Nyauke, as part of a broader pattern of intimidation.
Government and police officials have repeatedly denied any involvement in sponsoring political violence.