Babu Owino and Orengo Storm Kisumu Court as 8 Linda Mwananchi Supporters Walk Free
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and Siaya Governor James Orengo have secured the release of eight supporters arrested after deadly violence erupted outside a church service in Kisumu.
A political and legal confrontation intensified in Kisumu on Monday after Embakasi East MP Babu Owino joined Siaya Governor James Orengo at the Kisumu Law Courts to defend eight supporters linked to the Linda Mwananchi movement.
The eight had been arrested following clashes outside ACK St Stephen’s Cathedral on July 12, when rival groups confronted each other as a church service attended by Orengo, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and other political leaders was taking place.
The case took a dramatic turn on July 27 when a Kisumu magistrate’s court ordered the eight suspects released after the prosecution failed to prefer charges against them.
Citizen Digital reported that Magistrate Vee Agutu ordered the release and directed that the prosecution should not bring fresh charges against the eight in the case, effectively closing the file.
Babu Owino welcomed the decision, insisting that the supporters had been wrongly arrested.
“Together with Senior Counsel James Orengo, we are currently at Kisumu Law Courts to represent our eight loyal supporters falsely arrested for protecting Team Linda Mwananchi during a church service in Kisumu,” Babu said.
In a later statement, the Embakasi East MP said the eight were now free and described them as innocent Kenyans.
“Our 8 loyal supporters are now free. Today at the Kisumu Law Courts, we represented eight innocent Kenyans who had been falsely charged with murder and malicious property damage,” Babu said.
He further alleged that the supporters had been arrested while attempting to protect Orengo, Sifuna and other members of the Linda Mwananchi group.
Orengo, who represented the accused as Senior Counsel, also maintained that the eight were innocent and called for justice.
“Standing in court today for eight innocent Kenyans whose only ‘crime’ was walking into a house of God with Senator Edwin Sifuna and me,” Orengo said.
The development follows a violent confrontation outside the Kisumu church on July 12 that left one person dead and several others injured.
According to the National Police Service, nine motorcycles were torched and a police vehicle was damaged during the clashes. Eight suspects were subsequently arrested as police launched investigations into the violence.
NPS spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said preliminary investigations indicated that the violence followed a confrontation between two rival groups.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that, in Kisumu City, a violent confrontation between two opposing groups resulted in the death of one person, several injuries, the torching of nine motorcycles and damage to a police vehicle,” the police said.
The National Police Service condemned the incident as an example of political intolerance and violence, warning that individuals involved in criminal activity would face the law regardless of their political connections.
“The Service strongly condemns these acts of political intolerance, violence and goonism,” NPS said, warning that such incidents undermine public order and national cohesion.
Police further warned that anyone found engaging in violence, sponsoring criminal gangs, inciting supporters or disrupting lawful gatherings would be dealt with in accordance with the law.
The release of the eight supporters now adds another layer to the increasingly tense political environment surrounding the Linda Mwananchi movement, with rival political camps facing growing scrutiny over confrontations at political and public gatherings.
For Babu Owino and Orengo, however, Monday’s court decision was presented as a victory for the eight supporters and a rejection of the attempt to prosecute them.
“Justice has prevailed,” Babu said following the court decision.
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