In a dramatic political moment on Saturday, February 21, 2026, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna pushed ahead with his Linda Mwananchi rally at Amalemba Grounds in Kakamega County despite attempts to disrupt the gathering with teargas and tension on the ground.
The rally, part of a high-stakes political outreach programme aimed at engaging citizens on governance and development, was briefly thrown into confusion when teargas canisters were lobbed into the crowd just as Sifuna began his address. Thick white smoke spread across the venue, forcing some supporters to seek cover or move away from the plume.
Eyewitness images shared by media outlets showed canisters erupting near the dais moments before crowd control resumed.
Despite this disruption, Sifuna remained defiant. He urged supporters to stay calm and not retaliate, stressing that the rally would continue as planned. “This meeting will not be disrupted…” he declared, even daring those firing tear gas to try again.
Addressing thousands of attendees, Sifuna repeatedly called on them to resist confrontation with security forces. In his remarks, he urged the crowd not to throw stones at police and to simply cover teargas canisters with jackets to diminish their effect while the rally continued.
While some attendees briefly scattered, many quickly regrouped and remained on the grounds, waving party colours and chanting slogans in support of the visit.
The teargas incident was not entirely unexpected. In the hours leading up to the event, heavy police deployment and alerts from security sources had heightened tension in Kakamega Town, with some traders closing businesses early out of fear of potential clashes.
Earlier in the week, local leaders had warned of possible attempts to destabilise the rally, citing reports that youths had been recruited to provoke disruption. Party officials also insisted they had followed legal procedures to notify authorities.
Sifuna’s visit to Kakamega, a key region ahead of the 2027 general elections, is widely seen as a major test of his influence and a signal of the political battle lines being drawn in Western Kenya.
Despite internal divisions within his Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and challenges from allied leaders, Sifuna has positioned the Linda Mwananchi initiative as a grassroots movement, focused on empowering ordinary citizens in political discourse.
The rally’s continuation, even after teargas interruptions, underscores the deep political undercurrents and heightened emotions shaping Kenya’s political landscape in the run-up to the next election cycle.
