Mzee Lengo Karisa during an interview in Vipingo, Kilifi County on October 17, 2025.
A man who made headlines in 2014 for striking former Prime Minister Raila Odinga with a cane in Kwale has paid tribute to the opposition chief, describing him as a beacon of democracy whom Kenya will dearly miss.
The incident occurred on September 29, 2014, at Kinango in Kwale County during the Okoa Kenya political campaign rally organised by the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD), which was pushing for a proposed referendum.
Mzee Lengo Karisa during an interview in Vipingo, Kilifi County on October 17, 2025.
Mr Odinga and then Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya (now Sports Cabinet Secretary) were on stage dancing “Sengenya” with traditional dancers as part of the event’s entertainment.
As the two leaders danced, Mzee Lengo, now 65, pushed through the crowd towards the platform and whipped both Mr Odinga and Mr Mvurya before being subdued by their security detail, who were caught unawares by the sudden attack.
The elderly man used his walking stick to strike the two politicians, briefly disrupting the event. He was immediately arrested by police and charged with assault and causing a disturbance.
Security aides escort Lengo Karisa out of an Okoa Kenya rally in Kinango market, Kwale County on September 29, 2014 after he attacked Raila Odinga and then Governor Salim Mvurya.
However, Mr Odinga and Mr Mvurya later forgave him and declined to press charges, leading to his release.
On Friday, the Nation visited Mzee Lengo at his home in Vipingo, Kilifi County, where he relocated to soon after the 2014 incident.
Mzee Lengo is now a frail shadow of his former self—lonely, remorseful, and struggling with poor health.
He said he was grateful to meet the Nation team, explaining that he had long wished to speak to the media after hearing of the death of Mr Odinga, the man he caned 11 years ago “for no good reason”.
Born in 1960, Mzee Lengo said he was deeply saddened by Raila’s death, a man he now regards as a champion of democracy and peace.
“I caned him. Now my uncle, Mr Odinga, has died and gone. I feel very bad—it has pained me. But what can I do? We are only human,” he said.
He praised Mr Odinga for his contribution to Kenya’s democracy, saying he should be remembered as a hero of this generation.
“Many people did not understand the reasoning behind the difficult decisions he used to make. He was a good person. Kenyans should have given him a chance to lead this country as president,” he said.
Mzee Lengo said that the interview had come at a perfect time as he had been looking for a way to mourn Mr Odinga and seek forgiveness once more, even though he had already done so years earlier.
Mzee Lengo Karisa during an interview in Vipingo, Kilifi County on October 17, 2025.
He preferred not to dwell much on the caning incident, saying it still brought him pain, but agreed to recount briefly what happened on that fateful day.
“You know, I have a problem that sometimes troubles my mind, and when it does, I am no longer myself,” he explained.
Mzee Lengo recalled that on that day, he suddenly felt an adrenaline rush and lost control of himself. “The next thing, I felt like my fingers were on fire. I raised my walking stick and caned them. I asked myself, what are these people doing, dancing carelessly? I did not see them as human beings,” he said.
Moments later, after being subdued by security guards, he regained his senses. “I asked myself what I had just done,” he said.
He said he had woken up that morning as usual, taken tea, and gone to attend the rally like everyone else.
“When the thought came to my mind that I should cane them, I was ready to kill or be killed. I just found myself doing something wrong. Later, when someone asked me why I had disrupted the meeting, I realised that’s how the devil uses people to do his work,” he said.
Security aides subdue Lengo Karisa at an Okoa Kenya rally in Kinango market, Kwale County on September 29, 2014 after he attacked Raila Odinga and Salim Mvurya.
Mzee Lengo said he never met Mr Odinga or Mr Mvurya after the incident. “I was arrested after the incident, but Mr Mvurya and Mr Odinga asked that I be set free. I was taken to court, detained, and later released. I then moved from Kwale to Vipingo, where I still live today,” he said.
After his release, life became difficult. He said that at first, people looked at him suspiciously, especially Mr Odinga’s supporters, forcing him to isolate himself and stay out of the public eye.
“These days, people have forgotten. I now walk freely in the village, and no one remembers that incident. You know, it happened in Kwale and many here (in Kilifi) don’t even recall it. It’s only the media that remembers,” he said with a faint smile.
He revealed that he would have wished to attend Mr Odinga’s burial but could not do so due to poor health.
“Mr Odinga did his best for this country. His death is a big blow. His life should be emulated by all, especially the country’s leadership. I don’t know if Kenya will ever have another leader like him. I ask him, his family, his supporters, and Kenyans at large to forgive me,” he added.
Mzee Lengo said he had known Mr Odinga even before the caning incident and admired his father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.
Henry Kinyua, a Vipingo resident and friend of Mzee Lengo, recalled the incident, saying the elderly man had just returned from Tanzania before travelling to Kwale for the opposition rally.
“There were rumours that I had influenced Lengo to disrupt the meeting, but that was not true. I had nothing to do with it,” he said.
Mr Henry Kinyua, a resident of Vipingo and a neighbour to Mzee Lengo Karisa.
Mr Kinyua said he was among those who organised legal representation for Mzee Lengo after his arrest. “The incident shocked me. He had no known history of assaulting anyone,” he said.
Mr Kinyua said that after the attack, Mzee Lengo wanted to be taken to Mr Odinga to apologise in person, but no one was willing to facilitate the meeting.
He appealed to Kenyans of goodwill to help the ageing man, who is battling health problems and needs medical and social support.
“In honour of Mr Odinga, we plead with well-wishers to come to his aid. He needs medical attention and assistance,” he said.
Juma Omari, a village elder in Vipingo, said Mzee Lengo has lived a quiet and peaceful life since moving to the area.
“That incident shocked us because he had never assaulted anyone before. Since then, he has kept a low profile and avoids trouble,” he said.
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