Editor's Review
The driver's vehicle was among six that were torched during the chaos in Homa Bay County.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna confirmed that Linda Mwananchi will replace a taxi driver's vehicle which was torched during the chaos witnessed during the factions' tour of Homa Bay County.
In a statement issued on Saturday, September 19, Sifuna admitted that he was moved by an article which highlighted the plight of Steven Otieno, who not only lost his vehicle but was also injured during the chaos.
He promised the driver that Linda Mwananchi would be reaching out to him as soon as possible.
"I have read this story in today’s Standard. We will replace your vehicle, Steven. The Linda Mwananchi team will be in touch,"the Nairobi Senator wrote.
Otieno was driving a Subaru Legacy vehicle, which was used to transport Linda Mwananchi mobiliser Abbie Zuena to the Linda Mwananchi rally in Homa Bay County.
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He recounted how armed goons attacked his vehicle as they left Homa Bay. He stated that he was hacked with a machete and robbed of his valuables.
The driver claimed that he tried to reach out to Zuena after the incident to seek help about the vehicle, but she advised him to get a lawyer so that her legal team would engage on the way forward. However, efforts to reach out to her beyond that were unsuccessful.
He added that he even tried to reach out to Embakasi East MP Babu Owino for help to restore his livelihood. According to him, he was not even paid for the services he rendered to Zuena on August 15 and 16.
"I was promised that after being discharged from hospital, I would be assisted with some money so that I could get another vehicle and continue with my life, but nothing has happened," Otieno stated.
On her part, Zuena explained that she had not promised to buy the taxi driver a new vehicle, arguing that she was also a victim of political violence. However, she intimated that she had spent Ksh300,000 on his medical treatment and offered him financial support.
"As people move on so fast from Homa Bay. Most of us are still dealing with the horrors of what Homa Bay has done to us, mentally, financially, and the physical trauma of it all," she stated.
According to the National Police Service, six vehicles were torched and at least 46 people were injured as rival groups clashed during Linda Mwananchi's rally in Homa Bay.
The police arrested several suspects in connection with the chaos. The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) summoned Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma over statements he made on the eve of the rally.
