HOMA BAY

 

HOMA BAY
16 AUGUST 2026

When a Political Gathering Turned Violent


O

n Sunday, August 16, 2026, severe political violence erupted during a Linda Mwananchi rally in Homa Bay County, leaving people injured and at least two people dead in the initial reports, with the death toll later rising as investigations continued. Roads were barricaded with stones and other objects, groups of youths armed with crude weapons confronted the convoy, tear gas was deployed, vehicles were torched and businesses and other properties were damaged. At least 46 people were reported injured, while journalists covering the events were assaulted, injured and robbed of cameras and other equipment. Police launched investigations and arrested dozens of suspects, with crude weapons recovered, while allegations of organised mobilisation and political sponsorship remained under investigation. The violence triggered widespread condemnation, including calls for accountability and protection of journalists, while political leaders and authorities faced growing pressure to establish who organised, financed or facilitated the attacks.


WHEN THE TOWN STOPPED

A town is normally full of movement.

People open their shops.
Vehicles travel through the streets.
Customers walk from one place to another.
Workers begin their day as usually .
Life continues.

But on this day, something changed.


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WHEN THE CROWD BECAME A FORCE

A crowd can be many things.

It can be people gathering to listen, to celebrate, to protest, or to make their voices heard.

But when groups begin moving together while carrying weapons, the atmosphere can change quickly.

Then ask yourself:

What happens to a community when fear begins to replace ordinary movement?

And how can a crowd become a force capable of changing what happens around it?


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THE GATHERING

THE CROWD GATHERS

Before a crowd becomes a story in history, it is simply made up of people.

People who have left their homes.
People who have come to listen.
People who have come to speak.
People who have come because they believe in something.


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CONFRONTATION

WHEN TENSION ERUPTED

There is a moment when a gathering can change.

The atmosphere becomes tense.
People begin moving differently.
Voices rise.
Roads become difficult to cross.
Smoke fills the air.

What was once a political gathering is now a scene of confrontation?

But remember:

These were real streets.
These were real people.
And for those who were there, this was happening in real time.

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THE AFTERMATH

WHAT THE FIRE LEFT BEHIND

A vehicle is more than metal and glass.

It carries people to work.
It carries goods to markets.
It takes families where they need to go.
For some, it is a means of earning a living.

But after the violence, some vehicles and motorcycles were left burned and damaged.

The flames are gone now.

What remains is the evidence.

Charred metal.
Broken parts.
Blackened surfaces.
Objects that once moved through these streets, now unable to move anywhere.

These photographs ask us to look beyond the destruction.

Who owned these vehicles?
Who depended on them?
What did their destruction mean for the people who lost them?

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THANK YOU FOR WALKING THROUGH THESE STORIES WITH US.

Your presence honors the voices that were silenced,
the lives that were lost,
the families that were left behind,
and the futures that were changed.

May you leave not only with sorrow,
but with understanding.

May that understanding become courage—
the courage to protect,
to speak,
to question,
and to act.

Because history is not preserved
only so that we remember what happened.

It is preserved
so that we may understand it,
learn from it,
and choose a better path.

Change begins when someone chooses not to look away.

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