NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 18 – Homa Bay Town MP George Kaluma has dismissed claims that his remarks fuelled violence during the Linda Mwananchi rally in Homa Bay, saying residents were “provoked” and that the situation could have been far worse had they responded to what he described as deliberate provocation.
Kaluma said his remarks, which have since drawn the attention of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), had been taken out of context and misinterpreted.
He said he had received a letter from the commission and instructed his lawyers to respond, arguing that some of his remarks had been incorrectly transcribed or translated.
“If you are asking for investigations, that is the proper thing to do,” Kaluma said, adding that the circumstances surrounding the violence should be examined in full.
The legislator said the events preceding the August 16 rally were characterised by what he described as persistent provocation, arguing that residents had a right to react to what they perceived as threats to their community.
He maintained that he did not mobilise people to attack the Linda Mwananchi team, saying his public meetings in the run-up to the rally were attended by ordinary constituents.
Kaluma said photographs from one of his meetings would demonstrate that the people surrounding him were largely women and other residents who had come to listen to him.
“Would I be foolish enough to say that we were going to eliminate anybody in such a public place? That is completely illogical,” he said.
The legislator was responding to criticism over remarks he made ahead of the rally, which he said had been presented without the context in which they were delivered.
He argued that his warnings about people staying in hotels were based on security concerns and the legal requirement for hotels to maintain records of their guests.
Kaluma claimed he had received information that groups of people had been brought into Homa Bay ahead of the rally and accommodated in hotels.
He said his directive to hotel operators was intended to ensure that authorities could establish the identities of people staying in the facilities.
The MP further claimed that police subsequently intercepted vehicles carrying some of the people he had warned about and recovered crude weapons.
Kaluma said the arrests strengthened his concerns that individuals had been mobilised to cause violence during the rally.
He also accused the security agencies of being compromised, alleging that some police officers facilitated the movement of people he described as dangerous criminals.
The MP said he had called for investigations into the conduct of security officials and would provide additional information to support his claims.
Kaluma alleged that several police vehicles, including General Service Unit vehicles and Land Cruisers, accompanied the Linda Mwananchi procession as it moved through Homa Bay.
He questioned why civilians allegedly carrying firearms were able to move freely while surrounded by police officers.
The legislator also alleged that some of the youths who travelled to Homa Bay had been promised Sh3,000 to participate in the political activities.
He claimed that some students and young people were later stranded in villages after the rally and that police stations were forced to accommodate some of them.
Kaluma said he personally assisted at least one student who had been stranded to return towards Kisumu.
The MP further claimed that the violence could have escalated significantly if local residents had responded aggressively to the provocation.
He said residents, particularly young people, had shown restraint despite what he described as deliberate attempts to provoke them.
“The young people who blocked major highways were largely young people who had been excited and incited by the provocation,” he said.
Kaluma argued that the presence of the Linda Mwananchi procession in Homa Bay, coupled with previous statements about confronting local residents, created a volatile environment.
He alleged that the objective was to provoke Homa Bay residents into retaliating and create a wider political and ethnic confrontation in the region.
“I believe their intention was to provoke our people so that we would attack them and create a wider conflict, particularly between Nyanza and western Kenya,” he said.
The legislator also alleged that one person, identified in his statement as Lornah, was killed after being struck by a vehicle associated with the procession.
He said the circumstances surrounding the death should form part of the investigations.
Kaluma accused several political figures associated with the Linda Mwananchi movement, including Siaya Governor James Orengo and former Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, of having links with individuals he described as criminal elements.
He said he would provide photographs and videos that he claimed showed some of the individuals in the company of political leaders.
The claims, however, remain allegations and have not been independently established.
Kaluma has called for investigations into Orengo, Babu Owino, former Homa Bay MP Caroli Omondi and Senator Edwin Sifuna over their alleged roles in the events surrounding the rally.
He has also demanded investigations into former President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua over alleged financial and political support for Linda Mwananchi.
The MP made a number of allegations concerning alleged payments and mobilisation ahead of the rally, but did not provide publicly verifiable evidence for the claims in his statement.
He said he wanted the relevant state agencies to investigate the allegations and establish whether any criminal conduct occurred.
Kaluma also demanded enhanced security for Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, claiming that the political confrontation had placed her at risk.
He maintained that his intervention before the rally was aimed at protecting residents rather than inciting them.
The MP said he would continue speaking out whenever he believed the security of his constituents was threatened.
He also defended the Orange Democratic Movement, saying the party had a long history of advocating for democracy and political freedoms.
The allegations come as political tensions remain high following the August 16 Linda Mwananchi rally and subsequent accusations by rival political factions over violence, provocation and the conduct of security officers.
Kaluma’s claims have not been tested through an independent investigation, and those he has accused have not been convicted of any offence arising from the allegations.
