Two people, including a police officer, have been confirmed dead in the violent confrontations witnessed on Sunday, August 16 between rival youth groups during the Linda Mwananchi political rally in Homa Bay Town.

The police officer who died was a driver attached to the Nyando Police Command, while the second person has been identified only as a Ugandan woman who was allegedly ran over by a speeding vehicle during the chaos.

Preliminary reports indicate that the officer was driving a police vehicle when he was struck by a flying stone, dying on the spot.

Homa Bay County Police Commander Lawrence Koilem says that a total of seven police officers were injured during the melee, with property of unknown value destroyed.

According to the police boss, 22 suspects have been arrested as a result.

Up to six vehicles were set ablaze after their drivers reportedly lost control and were unable to move amid the chaos. Armed youths then torched the vehicles, while the violence also spilled into a nearby church.

The Seventh-day Adventist Church Lake Victoria Field headquarters at Lala, along the Homa Bay-Mbita Road, was attacked, with a vehicle set on fire at the gate as its driver attempted to flee to safety.

Lake Victoria Field President Pastor Samson Okwach said the church was hosting evangelists at the time of the incident. He alleged that materials belonging to the clerics were taken and used to ignite the vehicle.

Residents warned that such violence could scare away investors, while calling for political leaders to find a lasting solution to the rivalry between opposing factions.

46 injured, treated at Homa Bay Referral Hospital

At Homa Bay County Teaching and Referral Hospital, 46 people were treated following the violence before being referred to private facilities due to the ongoing nurses’ strike. Those treated included a police officer who sustained a head injury and four people with gunshot wounds to their lower limbs.

Hospital Chief Executive Officer Vincent Oduor said seven patients were in critical condition, with one referred to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu.

One woman died after she was reportedly struck by a speeding vehicle. Oduor said she was rushed to hospital and died shortly after being examined by a doctor.