Day of thunder: How Sifuna-Babu Owino's wave swept Kakamega

The battle lines have been drawn, and a new potent political force capable of rallying and seamlessly attracting an organic crowd has entered the fray, threatening to alter the status quo in ODM and upset President William Ruto’s re-election bid.

These young politicians are determined to upset the old order by creating a powerful third force with the ability to send those in power home and render other political players irrelevant.

Embattled ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino startled their opponents and left others in awe after convening another successful rally in Kakamega that drew a mammoth crowd, despite attempts by police to scuttle it through the use of teargas canisters and interference by hired goons.

Yesterday, the convoy made an entry into Kakamega town mid-morning to find a crowd that had been building up since dawn, despite sustained efforts by police to disperse them from Amalemba Grounds and surrounding areas.

Police hurled more than 10 teargas canisters at the growing crowd as early as 6 am, but residents braved the violence and went into a frenzy when Sifuna and his team arrived.

The leaders, backed by veteran politicians including Siaya Governor James Orengo, looked stunned as a mammoth crowd formed a human shield to protect them from police and goons. Their entry presents a fresh headache for President Ruto in his bid to stifle dissenting voices and craft a winning 2027 formula.

For a start, several attempts to disrupt the rally had stalled in a week fraught with intense political mobilisation, intimidation and alleged threats.

“Zima hiyo kitu (extinguish that thing). Cover it with a jacket. This meeting is not going to stop,” shouted Sifuna from the podium after a canister exploded in the middle of his speech. The disruption attempts were thwarted as determined youths covered the teargas with a T-shirt to reduce its effects on the crowd.

The heavy presence of police officers deployed along the Kisumu–Kakamega Highway, hired goons wearing branded “two-term” T-shirts, and blocked roads leading to Kakamega town and Amalemba Grounds in an attempt to stop the convoy did not deter the charged youth.

At Shirere Market, a large group of motorcycle taxi riders (boda boda) wearing reflector jackets branded “two-term” gathered to fill up their tanks with Sh1,000 worth of fuel each, with instructions to ride to Amalemba Grounds to disrupt the meeting. Many later removed the jackets and set them on fire using petrol while chanting, “Mimi ni Sifuna.”

The Amalemba rally reproduced the magnetic power the late ODM leader Raila Odinga ‘Baba’ used to command when attending political rallies, as his name was repeatedly mentioned to cheer up the crowd.

Supporters took it upon themselves to provide security, and any perceived goons plotting to disrupt the meeting were dealt with.

Earlier, tension gripped Mbale town after several youths were injured in running battles ahead of the rally.

At least three youths were severely injured in the chaos. Sources said a woman leader from the area had mobilised youth to chant “two-term” and stone the Sifuna convoy, unaware that the leaders had flown directly to Kakamega Airstrip.

The violence is said to have been triggered by competing chants, with one faction shouting “one term” countered by the “two-term” group, escalating the confrontation.

At least one youth affiliated with one faction was left lying by the roadside after being attacked by a mob over allegations that he had stabbed another youth during the melee.

“The chaos erupted after one faction started mocking the other. They pelted stones, and during the scuffle, one stabbed another, causing the mob to take justice into their own hands,” said a youth who witnessed the incident.

Police officers intensified patrols within Mbale town to contain the situation and prevent further escalation.

The Sunday Standard established that some of the youths had allegedly been hired from Kisumu and ferried in to disrupt the rally.

Businesses remained closed for most of the morning, with traders opting to stay away for fear of looting and destruction of property, as police moved around in vehicles dispersing groups of rowdy youths.

In Kakamega, an unbowed Sifuna continued with his speech, stating: “Let them throw more teargas if they want, this meeting is ours, and we will be the ones to finish it and no one else.”

The embattled ODM Secretary-General did not mince his words as he directly attacked President William Ruto and his broad-based allies for allegedly trying to intimidate him using state machinery and going against the principles of the late Raila Odinga as captured in the 10-point agenda pact.

Sifuna requested one minute of silence in honour of the young man who was killed during his rally in Kitengela, Kajiado County.

“I’m at home, and I will not go anywhere. They told us that we will not access the venue to have our rally, and they have been baying for our blood, but we want to tell them that we are not cowards and our rally will go on as planned,” said Sifuna amid cheers at the venue.

He added: “I am hunted because I vowed to remind President Ruto that he signed a pact with Raila that he will respect the rights and freedom of people to assemble in peace. Why are they throwing teargas canisters at us? He (President) is going against the same agreement he signed.”

Sifuna blamed Ruto for the continuous killing of innocent Kenyans and the weakening of devolution in the country.

“I am being targeted because of telling Ruto to stop the extrajudicial killings and frustrating devolution in the country. We have seen him taking over the running of Nairobi County, which is now under Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, and the thorn in the flesh is my call for President Ruto to be a one-term president, and it did not come from me but from Kenyans,” stated Sifuna.

He added: “As the Linda Mwananchi team, we are going to traverse the entire country, but because of Ramadan, our Muslim brothers, with much respect, have requested us to take a break for one month, then we resume with our next stop being Mombasa.”

Sifuna criticised National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula for frustrating MP Kibagendi for opposing President Ruto’s re-election bid.

“Our brother Kibagendi is being frustrated, which is a pure witch-hunt by Wetang’ula because of saying Ruto is a one-term President. It is so sad that if any MP speaks on TV, at a political rally, or in Disco Matanga, Wetang’ula goes after him or her by suspending him or her from Parliament, and Wetang’ula’s powers end within the National Assembly, not in the private life of a lawmaker,” said Sifuna.

Vihiga Senator and ODM Deputy Party Leader Godfrey Osotsi claimed the government had been threatening to kill him alongside Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino.

“We have gone through thick and thin, but we have remained firm. They denied us the use of Bukhungu Stadium and the Approved School grounds to hold our meeting, but we decided to bring the rally to Amalemba Grounds, where Senator Sifuna went to primary school. They went further to block us at Kisumu Airport by deploying police and goons with the sole aim of ensuring Sifuna, Osotsi and Babu do not gain access to Amalemba Grounds,” said Osotsi.

During the meeting, gloves were off between the Linda Mwananchi brigade and the Linda Ground faction led by ODM party leader Oburu Oginga, with Sifuna lashing out at Oburu and several senior party officials for what he claimed was betrayal of party ideals for selfish interests.

“I want to tell President William Ruto, Oburu, Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, Suna East MP Junet Mohamed and Oketch Salah that ‘shame on you’ because you have betrayed the party ideals and that the party cannot be destroyed by a few individuals pursuing selfish interests,” said Osotsi.

Osotsi insisted that ODM will have a presidential candidate in 2027, stating that Junet and Oburu were dividing Luos and Luhyas.

“We heard Oburu saying ODM does not want the President and Deputy President posts. I want to tell them we have able and capable leaders like Sifuna, Orengo, Babu and I to be President of this country, and as a party we are going to have a presidential candidate,” said Sifuna.

Siaya Governor James Orengo made sensational claims, alleging that unnamed forces were behind the death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and were now plotting to weaken and kill ODM.

“They killed Raila Odinga so that they can kill the ODM party, but we will not accept; we want ODM to remain firm. Raila had a 10-point agenda, and he warned against any political pact with any party, including UDA, and we are saying no to UDA,” said Orengo.

He added: “Raila stood for the people, he fought for the freedom and rights of people, he was against the high cost of living, but we are witnessing the cost of living going up. We are bringing change to Kenya, and this is the team to bring change to this country, and therefore, Ruto must go.”

Orengo declared that he recognises Sifuna as the legitimate Secretary-General of ODM.

“On the issues of the ODM party, for me, I will only listen to Sifuna as my Secretary-General. No one else,” he said.

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino criticised the government over the high cost of living, vowing to lead what he termed the mother of all demonstrations.

“If the President cannot lower the cost of living, fix the education and health sectors, we will go to the streets. We have seen the good results of demonstrations in this country, starting with the colonial government and the multi-party system. We have some people serving in the current Cabinet courtesy of protests,” said Babu.

Kabuchai MP Majimbo Kalasinga stirred up the crowd with the Tawe Movement, calling for the exit of National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, while urging Sifuna to run for the presidency.

“We don’t want a deputy president post; we want to tell Sifuna to go for the presidency, he is State House material. We are saying no to Wetang’ula and Mudavadi,” said Majimbo.

Saboti MP Caleb Amisi and Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka called for President Ruto’s removal from office in 2027, stating that he had failed to help the country overcome the high cost of living, waning democracy and human rights concerns.