Teargas thrown at Amalemba Grounds ahead of ‘Linda Mwananchi’ rally on February 21, 2026/HILTON OTENYO
Teargas canisters have been lobbed at event organisers ahead of the Linda Mwananchi rally scheduled in Kakamega County today.
The rally is set to be attended by leaders allied to Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna.
Images seen by the Star showed some supporters snatching and burning reflectors just outside the Amalemba Grounds, where the meeting is scheduled.
At around 9:00 am, a tear gas canister was hurled at the venue.
The attendees responded by throwing stones.
They then organised into groups and positioned themselves on all roads leading to the venue, stopping and searching vehicles entering the area.
Meanwhile, youths supporting the broad-based government moved through the town atop trucks and motorbikes, waving placards reading “Two Tutam.”
Erection of the podium underway at Amalemba Grounds in Kakamega on Saturday /HILTON OTENYO
Earlier on, the organisers had indicated that they would have a meeting in Mbale, Vihiga, before heading to Kakamega, but later changed and started with Kakamega.
On Friday, police in Kakamega had indicated that the event organisers had not notified them of the meeting.
Western Regional Police Commander Issa Mohmoud said security agencies only learned of the rally through social media.
“We have heard of a rally organised by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and his faction of ODM at Amalemba Grounds in Kakamega tomorrow. We picked this information from social media. No one has come to my office to request our assistance, but we will assist them as much as we can. We will disperse the gathering if it breaks the existing laws of the country,” said Mohmoud.
“I don’t want to speculate about tomorrow, but we will step in where there will be any problem,” he added.
Just a day earlier, on February 20, a truck allied to the Linda Mwananchi was stoned on its way to Kakamega County for a rally scheduled for Saturday, February 21.
In videos by the Star, the truck was part of a convoy travelling to Kakamega when it was stoned at the Kona Mbaya trading center on the Friday morning.
Supporters arriving at Amalemba Grounds for the Sifuna rally on Saturday /HILTON OTENYO
Crowds growing at Amalemba Grounds for Saturday’s Linda Wananchi rally in Kakamega /HILTON OTENYO