A public address vehicle belonging to Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya was among the vehicles that were set ablaze during the violent chaos that erupted in Homa Bay on Sunday, as goons unleashed a wave of destruction that left torched cars, a vandalized hospital, a desecrated church, and scores injured in one of the most brutal episodes of political violence witnessed in recent memory.
The attack on Natembeya's vehicle was part of a coordinated assault on the Linda Mwananchi convoy that left at least two people dead, including a police officer who was struck by a rock while driving on the Homa Bay-Kendu Bay road, and saw multiple vehicles set on fire at different points along the Homa Bay-Rongo road.
Witnesses reported that the goons first targeted the public address vehicle belonging to Natembeya's convoy, deflating its tyres with gunshots before looting the sound system and setting the vehicle on fire, and they then turned their attention to Natembeya's official car, knifing the front left tyre to deflate it and forcing the governor to drive on the rim for some distance as he sought safety.
Natembeya was forced to take refuge in a private home after abandoning his damaged vehicle, but the goons stormed the property within a short period, forcing him to escape through a fence as his official car was extensively damaged and personal items stolen from the vehicle.
What made the attack on Natembeya particularly alarming was the precision with which the goons operated, because they did not simply attack random vehicles in the convoy but specifically targeted the governor's public address vehicle and his official car, deflating tyres with gunshots, looting equipment and ultimately setting the vehicles on fire in a manner that suggested a coordinated operation rather than spontaneous mob violence.
This pattern of targeted violence against experienced opposition leaders is not isolated to Homa Bay, because just days earlier, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's convoy was attacked in Salgaa, Nakuru County, for the second consecutive day, as tensions surrounding his Democracy for Citizens Party intensified.
The incident occurred on Saturday, August 15, 2026, as Gachagua's convoy travelled towards Rongai from Molo, and the tour of Nakuru was almost disrupted after a group of youths blocked the Salgaa-Rongai highway, reportedly seeking to prevent him from proceeding with his political engagements in the area, with the former deputy president's convoy also being stoned as he attempted to enter Rongai.
The attack on Gachagua came shortly after the DCP leader criticized President William Ruto over his continued remarks about retired President Uhuru Kenyatta and claims that the retired president is backing the opposition.
Speaking during his tour of Njoro, Elburgon, Molo and Rongai, Gachagua called on residents to remain united and cautioned against attempts to divide communities ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Sources suggest that the government is deliberately targeting Gachagua and Natembeya because of their experience their ability to mobilize resistance against the Ruto administration, as both leaders have been vocal critics of the President's broad-based government and have played key roles in the growing opposition movement.
Gachagua, a former Deputy President, and Natembeya, a former Regional Commissioner who served at the highest levels of the civil service, are among the few opposition leaders who understand the inner workings of government and have the political networks and grassroots support to pose a serious challenge to the administration.
The violence in Homa Bay did not stop at the road, because when people fleeing the confrontation sought refuge at the Seventh Day Adventist Church (SDA) Lake Victoria Field headquarters along the Homa Bay-Rongo road, the goons turned their anger on the church, hurling stones at the building, damaging windows and vehicles, and using reading material from the church to start the fire that destroyed a vehicle at the gate.
Later that night, the attackers targeted the Homa Bay County Teaching and Referral Hospital, where 46 people were being treated for injuries sustained during the chaos, and the goons were reportedly looking for those who had been injured and were receiving treatment at the facility, with four people suffering gunshot wounds to their lower limbs and one woman dying after being hit by a speeding vehicle.
The hospital's management was forced to seek help from police as seven patients were in critical condition, with one referred to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kisumu, and the hospital CEO Vincent Oduor confirmed that most of those injured had cut wounds caused by machetes and knives.
The attacks on both Gachagua and Natembeya appear to be part of a coordinated strategy to intimidate and neutralize experienced politicians who could rally the opposition ahead of the 2027 elections, and the failure to protect these leaders or investigate the attacks has only deepened suspicion that state security agencies may have been complicit in the violence.
The violence in Homa Bay and Salgaa has raised serious questions about the government's commitment to protecting opposition leaders and their supporters, and the fact that a church and a hospital were attacked has exposed just how volatile the 2027 political season could become.
