KAKAMEGA, Kenya — Preparations for the highly anticipated Linda Mwananchi rally in Kakamega County were disrupted on Saturday as teargas canisters were reportedly lobbed at event organisers, according to images obtained by Vivid Voice News.
The canisters, allegedly thrown by plainclothed police officers, temporarily halted mobilisation efforts ahead of the political gathering.
The rally is expected to draw leaders allied to Edwin Sifuna, Babu Owino, James Orengo, and other allied figures.
The disruptions follow statements by Western Region Police Commander Issa Muhamoud, who alleged that Sifuna intends to bring armed individuals to the Kakamega rally without notifying authorities.
Speaking to the media, Mohamud said officers had received intelligence suggesting that people arriving from Nairobi might be carrying rifles. He further noted that no formal permit requests had been submitted for the rally.
“This is a serious concern. We have not received any formal request for police facilitation for this rally, yet there is information circulating about armed attendees,” Muhamoud told journalists.
Tensions escalated the previous day when a truck associated with the Linda Mwananchi movement was stoned while en route to Kakamega. According to videos shared by Senator Sifuna, the vehicle was attacked at Kona Mbaya trading center on Friday morning.
In one clip, the truck driver is seen driving past hecklers shouting movement slogans moments before stones struck the vehicle. Despite the attack, Sifuna, Owino, and Orengo vowed that the rally would proceed as planned.
“These incidents will not stop us. The rally will happen whether some like it or not,” Sifuna said.
The attacks in Kakamega occur against the backdrop of violence at a Kitengela rally on February 15, 2026, where police fatally shot Vincet Oyamo, 28.
Also Read: Police and ODM clash over Edwin Sifuna’s Linda Mwananchi rally in Kakamega
Autopsy reports indicated that Oyamo died from a gunshot wound to the left eye, which fractured his spinal cord and damaged his brain. The bullet reportedly exited through the back of his head. More than fifty others were injured during the incident.
Ahead of the Kakamega rally, Sifuna stressed that he had formally notified police and government officials, including Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, via WhatsApp.
“Since Murkomen remains on the Senate WhatsApp group as a former senator, I have shared the notice for the Kakamega rally both in the group and directly to his personal WhatsApp number, so he cannot later claim he was unaware of the event, as he did with the Kitengela rally,” Sifuna stated.
Sifuna reaffirmed that the Kakamega gathering would proceed with the participation of leaders including Orengo and Owino, despite the disruptions.
