One man was killed in Mbale Town, Vihiga County, on Saturday, February 21, at a ‘Linda Mwananchi’ rally organised by politicians led by Nairobi senator Edwin Sifuna.
Police confirmed the incident.
According to sources, the deceased had attacked another person over their political stance.
He reportedly stabbed his victim, prompting a reaction from the members of the public, who descended on him, killing him on the spot.
This was just before the Sifuna-led caravan arrived for the rally.
His body was ferried to the Vihiga County Referral Hospital morgue.
This would be the second casualty of the chaos witnessed in the “Linda Mwananchi” rallies organised by Sifuna and his faction of ODM rebels.
Earlier in the day, Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino stepped in to shield a suspected intruder who had disrupted the gathering.
Sifuna led his faction of ODM dissenters at Amalemba Grounds in Kakamega town during the third edition of the Linda Mwananchi rally, following earlier ones in Busia and Kitengela.
Disorder erupted during the rally when police fired teargas to disperse the crowd. Sifuna urged attendees not to flee, encouraging them instead to shield themselves from the gas.
Amid the confusion, suspected goons infiltrated the gathering with hidden agendas.
Some participants noticed them and launched attacks even as the leaders continued addressing the crowd.
One of the intruders was severely beaten and injured, prompting Sifuna and Babu Owino to intervene.
Sifuna remained at the forefront of the rally, but despite appeals for calm, the assault persisted, forcing him to drag the man to the podium for protection.
Babu pleaded with the furious crowd, urging them not to continue the beating, insisting the man should be left alone and taken to the hospital.
When his appeals failed, Sifuna stepped in to help pull the man onto the podium, though blows continued to land on his back as he crawled behind it.
The faction has rejected any proposal for ODM to endorse President William Ruto’s re-election bid in 2027.
They remain at odds with the camp loyal to Senator Oburu Oginga, who took over leadership of the Orange party after Raila Odinga’s death last October.
Oburu’s team has signalled willingness to cooperate with Ruto and pledged support for his re-election, but Sifuna and his allies accuse the administration of betraying Kenyans and mismanaging the country, vowing not to back Ruto in any way.
Earlier, tension had already flared at Amalemba Grounds when teargas was hurled just as Sifuna took the podium to address Linda Mwananchi supporters.
The ODM secretary general, under pressure, had barely begun his remarks when police allegedly fired a canister into the packed crowd.
Panic briefly swept through sections of the audience as people scrambled to escape the choking fumes, but Sifuna stood firm, refusing to abandon the stage.
In defiance, he urged the crowd to remain calm, chanting “Hatutoroki” and insisting the rally would continue.
His voice cut through the haze and cries, directing supporters to extinguish the canister and restore order.
The crowd responded with cheers, regrouping near the dais as the DJ lifted spirits with one of Raila Odinga’s rallying anthems.
Sifuna further cautioned the youth against retaliation, warning them not to hurl stones at police despite the simmering tension.
The disruption did not derail the event; leaders were asked to sit and maintain calm as the senator pressed forward. Gradually, the crowd settled, and the programme resumed.