Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi was on Saturday discharged from the Karen Hospital after his Wednesday attack by goons in Kisumu, fighting off allegations that he was targeted for liaisons with another man’s partner.
Flanked by his wife and Linda Mwananchi politicians, he instead pointed an accusing finger at Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, claiming the latter is targeting the group breaking away from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party.
“One Raymond Omollo is responsible for my attack and I have evidence about that. He has been trailing me. They have put police to trail me, and to trail the Linda Mwananchi team,” he said.
“That guy is going to be the downfall of William Ruto. And you better sack him now or arrest him,” added Mr Osotsi.
Linda Mwananchi politicians Edwin Sifuna, Babu Owino and Reuben Ndolo also reinforced the Omollo link to the attacks, demanding his resignation and arrest.
Said Mr Sifuna: “We are saying, without any fear, that Raymond Omollo must be arrested. If he is not arrested in the next two weeks, we are going to take certain actions that will have to force the hand of government to be able to put a stop to this nonsense.”
At the same time, the Linda Mwananchi team sought to extinguish chatter that had started gaining ground that the Luo and Luhya communities were at odds.
They also used the press conference to announce that they will soon hold a rally in Kisumu, after they hold one in Nakuru on April 19.
“After Nakuru on the 19th, we are coming to Kisumu. Raymond Omollo, you can bring your guns. We are ready to die,” Mr Ososti said.
Mr Owino thundered: “We have decided that we are bringing our blood to you. Don’t even look for us. We are coming to Kisumu. Please bring all your goons, the possible ones that you can manage to mobilise. We want those goons to kill us this time.”
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murokomen, speaking in Nakuru County on Friday, came to Dr Omollo’s defence.
Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi (centre) arrives for a press briefing after being discharged from Karen Hospital on April 11, 2026. He was accompanied by his wife and leaders from the Linda Mwananchi movement.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation
Without responding to Dr Omollo’s involvement or lack thereof, Mr Murkomen noted: “I saw some of the people who were having a press conference, opposition leaders, mentioning my PS. I want to dare them that they come out openly and denounce violence and denounce the goons and the boys they are walking around with.”
“Since they have gone public, I want to ask the Inspector-General of police to move with speed and arrest all those boys they are using in their functions so that then it can become a proper example that they believe in this issue of fighting gangs,” added Mr Murkomen.
Speaking on Friday, Dr Omollo had described the occurrence “unfortunate”.
“It’s unfortunate, what happened to Honourable Osotsi. For sure, there is action that’s being taken, and of course I would want to wish him well,” he said. “The point is that any leader who uses goons for criminal purposes must just be held to account.”
In his address to the press at the Karen Hospital, Mr Osotsi for the first time narrated the turn of events behind the violence against him whose CCTV clips shocked the nation, saying he nearly got shot that day.
On that day, he said, he had gone to Kisumu for a shave and to meet the Vihiga branch women representative of the Football Kenya Federation (FKF) in regard to a league he wants to sponsor in Vihiga.
“I decided to go to Kisumu for a haircut, and I went to Acacia Complex,” he said, adding that his meeting with the FKF official was to happen afterwards.
As he sat at the Java café, he said, he sent his bodyguard to withdraw money from an M-Pesa agent.
“It’s not very far from where I was. It’s maybe around 50 metres from where I was seated,” Mr Osotsi recalled.
Around that time, he saw a group of “about 15 to 20” youth approaching.
“When they were coming in, they didn’t look hostile. And they were shouting, Senator!” he recalled.
He thought it was the typical groups he is used to, allowing them to come to greet him, but things quickly took an ugly turn.
Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi (left) and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna during a press briefing at Karen Hospital on April 11, 2026, following Osotsi’s discharge from the facility.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation
“Two of them greeted me, and I was actually on the phone. Two greeted me. I didn’t see any danger until they started hitting me and saying, ‘Why are you supporting ‘Wantam’? Why are you not supporting William Ruto?” he said.
“I fell down, and they continued to hit me. At that point, I think my security heard the commotion, so he quickly came. And one of the guys, the one who was hitting me with a kick (sic), was actually trying to remove a gun to shoot me. But when my security removed his, they all panicked and they ran away,” Mr Osotsi noted.
“I was in a very [bad] condition. My whole face was swollen; I could not be recognised. When I fell down, my right hand was paralysed, and I also had a knock on my knee,” he said.
Some of the claims that spread on social media as the news of the attack spread was that he was beaten up because he was engaged with someone’s partner.
In response, Mr Osotsi noted: “I have heard people saying all manner of things; some talking about a love triangle. It is unfortunate that when a leader in Kenya is killed or attacked, the State propaganda will always want to make it look like a love thing. This was not a love thing.”
“I have a beautiful wife,” he added, gesturing at her as she sat to his right. “And even if I wanted to do love (sic), I cannot do it in the open, in a hotel. It is not possible. So, I saw that within 10 minutes of the attack, government bloggers were already out, giving their version. How they knew I was attacked, even before my own media knew, it is surprising.”
He described the tough times his family has faced over the past couple of days, given his recent involvement in an aircraft mishap at the Wilson Airport.
“My family has been tormented. You just know that about two weeks ago, I had an accident with an aircraft, and my entire family was shocked, and again this happening. But we believe in God, and we will surmount all this,” said Mr Osotsi.
“We need more arrests, and especially not of the small fish, but the mbuta himself has been identified; the person who is responsible for running gangs of goons in Kisumu and in other places in western Kenya. We want that person arrested,” Mr Sifuna demanded.
Viewer discretion: CCTV shows moment unknown men attacked Senator Osotsi
