Kalonzo disputes official Homa Bay rally death toll, demands inquiry

Wiper Patriotic Front (WPF) leader Kalonzo Musyoka has called for a special public inquiry into the August 16 Linda Mwananchi violence in Homa Bay, claiming the actual death toll is significantly higher than initially reported.

According to the opposition leader, dozens of people may have been killed during the chaos.

While official police reports put the death toll at up to four, Mr Musyoka claimed the number had reached double digits, disputing the official figures.

"We have since established that the number has gone up. We are calling for a special inquiry to find out exactly what happened and who was responsible for these killings, because the country cannot continue this way,” Mr Musyoka said.

The violence erupted as Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and other members of the Linda Mwananchi movement made their way into Homa Bay Town after holding rallies in Nyandiwa and Sindo.

Gangs of youths armed with crude weapons, including machetes, blocked roads with boulders and threatened anyone who attempted to pass.

Among those who died was a police officer from Muhoroni who was ferrying colleagues back after they had provided backup to their counterparts. A trader of Ugandan origin also died after being hit by speeding vehicles while crossing the road.

Speaking in Homa Bay on Friday, following another violent encounter during a rally in Migori the previous day, Mr Musyoka described the incident as a massacre that must not be covered up. He demanded that those responsible be publicly named.

“Homa Bay has been derogatorily referred to as 'Afghanistan' and 'Yemen.' We don’t want Homa Bay to continue to be a killing field for innocent people. This county is part of Kenya, and we cannot continue letting this happen,” he said.

Mr Musyoka was accompanied by a delegation of opposition leaders, including Justin Muturi, Eugene Wamalwa, Nyali MP Mohamed Ali and Raphael Tuju.

The opposition team said it would not accept financial compensation alone for victims of political violence.

Mr Musyoka noted that the Panel of Experts on Compensation of Victims of Demonstrations and Public Protests, led by Prof Makau Mutua, was finalising its report.

Once the report is completed, the team's People's Restorative Justice Commission, chaired by Mr Muturi, will pursue further legal demands.

"You cannot just pay people money. You cannot substitute life. There must be justice accompanying compensation. We will still come after you for justice. Justice must be provided for all the fallen heroes,” Mr Musyoka said.

The team also announced plans to establish June 25 as an annual National Accountability Day, featuring commemorative marches. It said it would seek to formally institutionalise the day if it took over the government next year.

Addressing the previous day's chaos in Migori, Mr Musyoka alleged that the attack was a well-coordinated ambush.

He accused local county leaders of organising youths to pelt his convoy with stones while police fired tear gas into the crowd.

“An impression has been given that Luo Nyanza belongs exclusively to a two-term narrative. This has been debunked by the people we met. People are not just chanting about terms; they want their country back,” he said, adding that many Kenyans were fed up with the current administration.

Mr Muturi defended the delegation's constitutional right to traverse the country, saying its members would not be intimidated by hired goons.

He argued that those orchestrating political violence failed to understand the constitutional freedoms of expression and speech.

Mr Wamalwa said the simultaneous stone-throwing and use of tear gas by police in Migori pointed to collusion.

"When you have a government and goons working together, we no longer have a government. What we have is a government of goons," he said.

He reminded local residents that Mr Musyoka had consistently stood by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga through three consecutive general elections, arguing that he should not face hostility in Nyanza.

Nyali MP Mohamed Ali described the Migori incident as an assassination attempt on the opposition leadership, saying the heavy stones hurled at their vehicles could have caused life-threatening injuries.

“Homa Bay is being described like Yemen and Afghanistan. These are derogatory labels born from places where people are killed while leaders stay silent,” he said.

Mr Ali accused the government of neglecting Nyanza's interests, alleging that President William Ruto was only courting voters for his re-election bid.

He called for international accountability and the prosecution at the International Criminal Court (ICC) of State officials who abuse firearms and crowd-control weapons.

“The only institution authorised to carry tear gas is the police. The question is, who authorised its use against peaceful rallies? What they did to us will not stop us from moving forward,” he said.

Mr Tuju said the team would not retreat in the face of threats, accusing local politicians of exploiting unemployed youth to drive political violence.

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