Narrative control: How women feature in high-profile attacks, deaths

What should have been an unremarkable stop for coffee in Kisumu turned, in a matter of moments, into a brutal public assault—one that not only left a senator injured, but also exposed a familiar and troubling pattern in Kenya’s public life: violence followed by distraction.

When Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi walked into Java House in the heart of Kisumu on April 8, 2026, there was little to suggest the ordeal that awaited him.

It was a routine visit—set against the gentle hum of conversation, the soft spill of music, and the inviting aroma of freshly brewed coffee. A public space, open and ordinary.

Then, without warning, the calm fractured.

Moments after taking his seat, a group of about 20 men— believed to be goons and described by witnesses as heavily built and coordinated—stormed towards his table. What followed was swift and ruthless.

In a video footage that quickly spread online, the men are seen descending on the Senator with blows and kicks, knocking him to the ground as chaos erupted around him. Patrons scrambled for safety; among them, a woman seated across from him was caught in the confusion.

Within minutes, the incident had spilled from the café floor onto social media.

But as the images circulated, so too did something else: a competing narrative.

The narrative

Almost immediately, claims began emerging online suggesting that the senator had been attacked while in the company of a woman—framing the incident as personal rather than political.

Osotsi has strongly rejected that account.

“It is unfortunate that when a leader in Kenya is attacked, some people quickly try to twist it into a love story,” he said. “This was not a love triangle. It was not personal in any way.”

Instead, he describes a routine professional engagement.

According to the Senator, he had travelled to Kisumu for a series of ordinary commitments, including a haircut, before attending a scheduled meeting at the café.

The meeting, he said, involved Jennifer Malanda, a colleague with whom he works on community initiatives and sports development programmes in Vihiga County.

“We had planned activities, including engagement with football officials over a league sponsorship. This was official work, nothing more,” he explained.

He pointed out that the meeting took place in a busy, open commercial complex—hardly a setting for secrecy.

“There was nothing private about it. This was a public place, with people moving around and even journalists present. The narrative being pushed simply does not add up.” 

More troubling, he says, was the speed at which the alternative version of events took hold.

“Within ten minutes of the attack, there were already coordinated messages pushing a completely different story,” he said. “That should tell you this was not accidental.”

Osotsi believes the narrative was deliberately engineered. He linked the spread of the claims to what he described as “state-sponsored propaganda,” aimed at shifting attention from the real circumstances of the attack.

“This is meant to divert Kenyans from asking serious questions about security and accountability. When you reduce such an incident to gossip, you avoid dealing with the truth,” he said.

He maintained that the attack was politically motivated, pointing to the nature of the confrontation in which his assailants reportedly questioned his political stance, particularly his opposition to President William Ruto.

“They were not asking about my personal life. They were asking about my political position. That alone tells you what this was about,” Osotsi noted.

The senator also reiterated his earlier claims linking the attack to powerful individuals, specifically Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omolo, whom he accused of being behind the incident.

“I will be presenting evidence to support my claims. Kenyans deserve to know the truth and not be misled by cheap propaganda,” he said.

Osotsi further called on the public to disregard the circulating rumours and focus on the broader implications of the attack, warning that such incidents, if ignored or trivialized, pose a threat to democratic space.

The assault left him with serious injuries, including swelling to the face and neck. He was airlifted to Karen Hospital, where he spent three days receiving treatment.

More than ten days later, no arrests have been made.

A familiar script

Beyond the violence itself, the incident has revived debate about a recurring pattern in Kenya—where high-profile attacks are quickly accompanied by narratives involving women.

Such narratives, analysts say, often serve to muddy the waters.

A striking parallel can be found in the 2017 killing of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) ICT manager Chris Msando.

Msando’s body was discovered in a forest in Kikuyu, Kiambu County, just days before the General Election. Beside him was the body of a young woman, Carol Ngumbu.

The discovery shocked the country. Yet almost immediately, attention shifted to speculation about their relationship.

Claims that the two were romantically involved—despite Msando being married—dominated public discourse, overshadowing critical questions about the killing itself.

A relative of the woman claimed that on the fateful day, she and Musando had gone for a drink but hours later their mobile phones went off only for their bodies to be found dumped kilometres away from Nairobi.

Years later, the case remains unresolved.

Distraction as strategy

Experts argue that such narrative shifts are rarely accidental.

“What happens in these situations is that the focus moves away from the core issue,” says counselling psychologist James Mbugua. “It becomes about morality, not facts.”

According to Mbugua, invoking the presence of a woman can fundamentally alter how the public perceives an incident.

“The moment that element is introduced, the man is judged differently. That he is/was promiscuous. The family withdraws. Public interest fades. It becomes easier to bury the truth,” he says.

In some cases, he adds, women may even be used deliberately as bait—particularly in premeditated operations.

“Often, it is someone known to the target. The aim is to create trust, to draw them into a vulnerable position,” he explains.

“What happens is that these women, oftentimes, are paid, so that they are able to lure this person to their death…it will be an invitation from this individual.”

He says that if a man receives a call from a woman he knows, he is likely to leave his home and meet her.

Once the mission is accomplished, he adds, the bait typically disappears—sometimes even leaving the country—making it extremely difficult for the victim to realise they were being set up.

“Somebody like Msando was under immense pressure, so they may also be looking for someone they can sit with and open up to. Often, that person happens to be a woman,” he said.

He added that it is almost impossible for the target to anticipate the trap.

“It is very difficult to avoid, especially when it is someone you know,” he noted.

He further explained that detectives or operatives who use women as bait often conduct thorough background checks on their targets beforehand.

Planned meticulously

Security analyst George Musamali argues that such operations are usually meticulously planned, complete with a narrative designed to fit the incident and divert attention.

He describes this as a deliberate distraction. In cases such as assassinations, he says, public attention is quickly shifted to alternative angles, such as alleged love triangles.

“That is common practice. It is not only happening in Kenya, even internationally, when high-profile individuals are targeted, some form of propaganda is introduced to distract the public and shift attention elsewhere,” said Musamali.

He added that victims rarely realise they are being manipulated, as the planning often involves detailed profiling.

A similar narrative emerged following the death of former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo in a road crash in Naivasha. Jirongo died in a traffic accident on the night of December 13, 2025, at Karai in Naivasha.

Earlier reports indicated that, hours before the accident, he had been with a female companion in Nairobi before driving her to Naivasha.

It was alleged that while driving a white Mercedes-Benz, he stopped near a hotel in Naivasha, where the woman alighted, before continuing his journey.

An autopsy later confirmed that Jirongo died from blunt force trauma, sustaining severe injuries to the chest and abdomen, as well as injuries to the spine and legs.