Speaking during a Linda Mwananchi mobilization tour in Homa Bay, former Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Faith Odhiambo strongly condemned political violence, warning against the deployment of youth armed with weapons to cause chaos during political events.
Odhiambo expressed concern over the escalating political tensions and the double standards used to mobilize citizens in different regions. She questioned why voters in some parts of the country are given economic incentives while residents in other areas are incited to engage in armed conflict.
“We cannot allow our blood to be the one that is poured. Today you are being told to take rungus and pangas and kill one another. That must come to an end,” Odhiambo told the crowd.
Odhiambo pointed out that while voters in by-elections elsewhere received gas cylinders, mattresses, and financial support, youth in other regions are being handed weapons like pangas and rungus to fight.
She urged local youth not to allow themselves to be used as tools of political violence for financial gain, defining political goonism as a systemic issue tied to poverty and political financing.
She questioned the unaccounted deaths of young people in police custody and during public demonstrations, referencing cases such as the death of Albert Ojwang.
Odhiambo noted that Kenya continues to suffer from cyclic political clashes because recommendations from past commission reports—including the Kriegler, Waki, and TJRC reports—have never been fully implemented.
The Linda Mwananchi rally in Homa Bay was marked by disruptions, including barricaded roads, tear gas, and clashes. Odhiambo called on national and local leaders to stop exploiting youth vulnerability and focus on dialogue rather than political hostility.
