Triumphant: Resilient Linda Mwananchi defies odds, breaks through Homa Bay barriers

The odds had been stacked against them. Blocked roads, violence, threats, and intimidation clouded the treacherous roads connecting towns and centres in one of the counties portrayed as the cradle of government development but, in reality, struggling with neglected roads and infrastructure.

But as the heavy dust of anxiety settled and hired goons collapsed under the weight of what appears to be an unstoppable wave, the Linda Mwanainchi brigade defied all odds to make a triumphant entry in Homa Bay, announcing plans to change the region’s political trajectory by introducing a new political party to shape their pursuit of the presidency.

Homa Bay leaders who had hoped the meeting would flop may have to go back to the drawing board and devise a new strategy to counter the opposition wave that appears to be gathering momentum and a relentless army of politicians keen to move around or knock down political brick walls on their path to restrict President William Ruto to a one-term presidency.

This came as the leaders intensified their criticisms against President Ruto’s administration and his allies in the ODM party, whom they accused of negating the gains that their political godfather, the late Raila Odinga, had made to champion democracy.

In eventful rallies marked by a spirited effort by hired goons to block them from traversing the county, the leaders led by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and principals James Orengo, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, among others, were received with a rapturous welcome by residents chanting anti-Ruto slogans.

While addressing jubilant residents in Sindo, Babu told the crowd that they will unveil a new party for them as the leaders accused the ODM leaders of frustrating them.

“We are going to bring you a new party that will take the region forward. The party that Baba left us has turned into something else,” said Babu.

Orengo described their movement as the custodian of the spirit of the late Raila and vowed to sue the Inspector General of police Douglas Kanja over the attacks they were subjected to. "The spirit of Raila is with us. We will not relent," he said.

The atmosphere had been tense. Goons had been mobilised and had turned the entire county into a battlefield, barricading roads with boulders, targeting critics of the government with physical violence and harassing residents. Some residents had been threatened not to attend the rallies, and some had even been offered money not to attend the rallies, as police officers largely played a spectator role. But still, a determined opposition demonstrated resilience to hold successful rallies in Sindo, Nyandiwa and Homa Bay.

The leaders turned a tense Linda Mwananchi rally in Nyandiwa, Suba South, into a fierce condemnation of President William Ruto’s administration, accusing the government of presiding over extrajudicial killings and using intimidation to frustrate their political activities.

The leaders said the confrontation, which they claimed involved groups of goons blocking the road and attacking their vehicles, would not stop them from reaching their supporters.

Their convoy was eventually escorted through the area by police after supporters helped clear the road, allowing the leaders to proceed to Nyandiwa, where they were received by residents.

For Sifuna, the disruption was evidence of what he described as growing intolerance towards political opposition, with the Nairobi senator linking the incident to his wider criticism of the government over the alleged killing of young people.

“I am here as Sifuna, the next president of Kenya in 2027. We were coming our way and found in Ndhiwa they had closed it and told us that we would not get ourselves here. Now you can see where we are. This is Nyandiwa, and you residents have welcomed us very well,” Sifuna said.

He thanked Homa Bay residents for the political support they had given him during his tenure as ODM secretary-general, saying he would not take the region’s backing for granted.

But Sifuna quickly shifted his focus to what he described as the bigger issue of extrajudicial killings, accusing the government of failing to protect the lives of young Kenyans.

He cited the death of Albert Ojwang, a teacher and social media user who died while in police custody, saying the incident marked a turning point in his relationship with the government.

“My problem started from when they took Albert Ojwang from Homa Bay and went to kill him in police cells,” Sifuna said.

He said he had previously supported an understanding between ODM and UDA that included commitments to address issues affecting Kenyans, including extrajudicial killings, but claimed the death of Ojwang made it impossible for him to continue supporting the arrangement.

“Before, we had an agreement with UDA and ODM that there would be no extrajudicial killings, and now this government killed Albert. I said that I won’t be with this government again,” he said.

Sifuna declared that he would seek the presidency in 2027 and urged residents to remain united in demanding accountability from the government.

“We need to fight this government to go back home for these extrajudicial killings happening in Kenya,” he said, insisting that President Ruto had little political support in the region.

Siaya Governor James Orengo also accused the government of failing to protect young people and demanded answers over what he described as police failures.

“If you don't answer what you have done to me today, I will take you to court. This should go to the Inspector General of Police,” Orengo said, referring to the confrontation that had disrupted their journey.

Orengo claimed that 80 per cent of youths killed during the 2024 protests were from the Nyanza region, although the claim was not independently substantiated at the rally.

He also referred to deaths in Busia, claiming that five youths had been killed two months earlier, four of them from the Luo community.

The Siaya governor said the opposition could not allow such killings to continue and argued that the alleged failure by police to protect citizens had eroded public confidence in the government.

“We cannot give Ruto another term because he has killed our kids,” Orengo said.

He also warned local politicians against what he described as divisive language, accusing the Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, the Ndhiwa MP and the Homa Bay Town MP of contributing to political divisions in the region.

Orengo's remarks came after the Linda Mwananchi convoy was forced to stop at Ndhiwa, where opposition leaders said they encountered groups blocking their route.

Kitutu Chache South MP Anthony Kibagendi linked the disruption directly to his criticism of the government over alleged extrajudicial killings.

“We are against these extrajudicial killings being carried out in this government, and that's why we need to send him home,” Kibagendi said.

He also accused Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga of attempting to interfere with their movement, claiming the convoy had nevertheless managed to reach Suba South.

“There is this governor, Gladys Wanga, who tried to close our road, but we managed to be here. We are finally here in Suba South,” he said.

Kibagendi further accused the county leadership of failing residents, saying the opposition would continue to challenge what it considers poor governance.

The issue of youths being used to disrupt political activities was also raised by Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, who accused unnamed local actors of allegedly mobilising young people against the Linda Mwananchi team.

Babu thanked residents for welcoming the convoy but said the scenes witnessed along the way were worrying.

Owino questioned why young people were allegedly being given crude weapons instead of employment opportunities.

He accused the government of failing to deliver on its promises to create jobs for the youth and said political mobilisation should not involve violence or intimidation.

“We have a right to do our rally. Leaders in this region, we always give you the green light when moving to other areas of Kenya. Now when we come here in Nyanza, you distract us, and you are sending us goons. We are really disappointed,” he said.

Suba South MP Carol Omondi also accused the government of failing to protect young people, saying residents would reject the administration in the next election.

“We will not allow them to continue killing our kids. That cannot happen, and that's why we will take him home. He will not be the next president of Kenya,” Omondi said.

She also accused some leaders from the region of prioritising their relationship with the government over the interests of residents.

According to Omondi, political leaders should be fighting for the rights of their constituents instead of allegedly benefiting from government support.

Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya said the attempt to block the opposition convoy would not derail their political activities.

“Finally, after being blocked, we are here,” Natembeya said.

Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi also called for continued unity between Nyanza and Western Kenya, invoking Raila’s political legacy.

Osotsi said Raila had intended to contest the  presidency in 2027 and had urged the two regions to remain united.

“Before Raila Odinga died, he said he would be the next president of Kenya in 2027, and told us we as Western and Nyanza are one people and nobody should distract us,” Osotsi said.

He urged supporters not to allow Raila’s political legacy to die with him, saying the two regions should continue working together.