Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino and Siaya Governor James Orengo have announced the release of eight supporters who had been arrested following violent clashes in Kisumu earlier this month.
In a statement issued on Monday, July 27, Babu said the eight had been falsely accused of murder and malicious damage to property, maintaining that they were innocent.
According to the ODM legislator, the supporters were arrested after defending a church during an attack by individuals he described as government-sponsored goons targeting Orengo and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna during a church service in Kisumu on Sunday, July 12.
Babu Owino, Orengo secure release of 8 supporters arrested over Kisumu clashes. Photo: Courtesy.
Babu said the Kisumu Law Courts ordered the immediate release of the eight suspects and directed that no further charges be preferred against them.
Following the court’s decision, Governor Orengo called on the National Police Service to pursue those responsible for the violence at the church instead of targeting innocent individuals.
The arrests stemmed from violent clashes that broke out during a church service attended by Orengo and Sifuna in Kisumu on July 12.
After the incident, the National Police Service (NPS) said preliminary investigations showed the violence resulted from a confrontation between two rival groups.
The clashes left one person dead, several others injured, nine motorcycles set ablaze and a police vehicle damaged.
Police later arrested eight suspects in connection with the unrest before the court ordered their release.
