How Linda Mwananchi's team outmaneuvered police disruption

From the onset, the government was steadfast that the Linda Mwananchi team would not hold their People’s National Delegates Convention (NDC) at Ufungamano House in Nairobi.

From Thursday evening, police officers were deployed to stop preparations for the event. Those who had been deployed by the Edwin Sifuna-Babu Owino and James Orengo faction of ODM were turned away by the police.

The officers had arrived at the venue on Thursday at 4pm upon getting news that the Linda Mwananchi team had secured the venue, having paid a Sh150,000 fee to use the facility.

On Friday morning, two water cannons, two police Land Cruisers, and a truck ferrying armed police officers were stationed outside Ufungamano House, with four police officers manning the gate leading to the venue.

Anyone who attempted to access the venue was stopped at the gate and was required to explain why they wanted to gain entry. “Wewe ni Sifuna?” they would ask.

A faction of delegates who had travelled all the way from counties such as Bungoma, Trans Nzoia, Nyandarua, and Elgeyo Marakwet, and who had arrived at Ufungamano House as early as 7am, were turned away by the police after being told there would be no meeting.

The police presence frightened the hotel attendants at the venue, who did not understand why officers had been stationed to scare away their customers.

“We had anticipated huge sales following the huge delegation that would attend today’s function and we were forced to increase food, but against our expectations, the police have blocked access to the hotel,” one of the hotel attendants said.

Mamlaka Road, which leads to Ufungamano House, was also deserted as road users diverted upon witnessing the heavy police presence. The road was left to the police and journalists.

Nairobi police boss Issa Mohamud said the decision was taken to prevent potential clashes.

“They can hold their meeting on any other day other than today. We are talking to the leaders to move it,” he said.

What the police officers did not know was that the Sifuna team had changed strategy. They had dropped the idea of having delegates arrive first to proceed with entertainment before leaders could join later one by one.

They had regrouped, met their supporters elsewhere, and decided that they would walk to Ufungamano on foot much later, when the police were almost certain that the event had been called off.

At around 10:00am, some of the police officers left the venue, leaving only a handful manning the area, with one of the water cannons removed from the vicinity.

Twenty-seven minutes later, a group of people was seen approaching the venue chanting “tumekuja na amani” as they headed towards Ufungamano House. It was only when they got closer that the presence of Linda Mwananchi leaders—Sifuna, Owino, Orengo, Godfrey Osotsi, among others—was noticed.

Even before the police regrouped, the Linda Mwananchi team had breached security and accessed the venue, with Osotsi taking over the podium to preside over the event.

Twelve minutes into the event, the police tried to access the auditorium where it was taking place, but relentless supporters overpowered them and pushed them outside.

While some of the Linda Mwananchi supporters attentively followed the proceedings inside the hall, there were two additional layers who stayed outside the doors. Their role was simple: to block the police from gaining entry.

At some point, Babu Owino came outside the hall and persuaded the police not to teargas their supporters, urging them to ignore President William Ruto’s orders to disrupt the event.

“The same challenge Kenyans are facing is the same challenge you are facing, the same school fees Kenyans lack is the same issue you are experiencing, please don’t use brutal force against our supporters, don’t harass us, your work is to maintain the law and order, you are not the ones who were sworn in as the President, let the President to come to the streets to lobby teargas,” the Embakasi MP told the police officers.

The decision by junior police officers to back down and ignore orders to force entry into the hall in a bid to lob teargas left their seniors disenfranchised, a move that led to the success of the event.

Police officers who spoke on condition of anonymity said they were tired of receiving orders only to be left under the bus when things turned haywire.

“Some of us had been deployed to guard former Minister Raphael Tuju’s property but have started receiving phone calls to interrogate them. To make matters worse, the officer who wants us to lob teargas is not the leader of our battalion. If things go south, there is a likelihood that we will be left to defend ourselves in courts of law,” one of the junior police officers said.

The police officers had teargas in their hands but did not lob it at the attendees. When it became clear they were reluctant, police bosses gave up, leading to the officers being dispersed at 11:20am, leaving Sifuna and his team to continue with their event.

Orengo challenged police authorities not to interfere with the meeting, describing it as lawful, peaceful, and a legitimate exercise of democratic rights.

The gathering is meant to counter the Orange Democratic Movement National Delegates Convention taking place at Jamhuri Park, highlighting the deepening rift within the party.

He accused the opposing faction of attempting to monopolize party processes and warned that any interference would be viewed as an affront to democracy itself.

“Any action of assault on any of us, we shall not only come for you but also to the ones who have sent you, the meeting is properly convened and we have adhered to all the laid down procedures,’ he said.