- Edwin Sifuna has pledged that the Linda Mwananchi team will replace a vehicle destroyed during violence in Homa Bay.
- Taxi driver Steven Otieno was injured while transporting passengers linked to a Linda Mwananchi rally on August 15.
- Steven says attackers struck him with a machete and destroyed the Subaru Legacy he was driving.
- He has been unable to return to work while recovering from his injuries and says the vehicle was his source of income.
- Mable Zuena, who was travelling in the vehicle, says she covered Steven’s medical expenses but denies agreeing to replace the car.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has offered to help a taxi driver who lost the vehicle he was using to earn a living during violence in Homa Bay. Sifuna said the Linda Mwananchi team would replace the vehicle belonging to Steven Otieno after reading an account of his ordeal published by The Standard. The pledge was made publicly on X on September 19, 2026. Sifuna did not give details on when the replacement vehicle would be provided or what type of vehicle would be involved.
“I have read this story in today’s Standard. We will replace your vehicle Steven. The @LindaMwananchi_ team will be in touch,” Sifuna wrote.
Steven, a resident of Nyalenda in Kisumu, has been unable to work for more than a month following the August 15 incident. He was driving a Subaru Legacy when the vehicle was stopped by a group of youths during the journey from Homa Bay. The car was later set on fire after the occupants were forced out. Steven says the loss has left him without the means to resume his work even after his physical recovery.
Steven says his involvement in the incident began after he was hired to drive Mable Zuena, also known as Abigael Gikonyo, to a Linda Mwananchi gathering in Homa Bay. He picked her up from the airport at around 6:30pm on August 15 before taking her to her residence. The next day, he drove her to Milimani, where members of the movement had gathered before travelling towards Homa Bay. The group later encountered trouble as they left the area.
Steven says the attack happened between approximately 5:30pm and 6pm when several youths carrying machetes and rungus stopped their vehicle. The attackers allegedly demanded money and mobile phones from those inside. Steven says he handed over Sh100 after one of the men demanded the money, before another person made a similar demand. The occupants were subsequently directed towards a nearby church in an attempt to find safety.
The situation became more dangerous when another group allegedly surrounded the vehicle and ordered those inside to get out. Steven says the attackers followed them towards the church after they attempted to seek refuge there. Another vehicle that had been driven into the church compound for protection was also reportedly damaged. The Subaru he had been driving was left near the church gate before it was eventually torched.
Steven says he sustained serious injuries during the attack. He was allegedly struck with a machete, leaving deep wounds on his face, back, arms, hands and feet. His arm was fractured, while injuries to his back and foot required further treatment. He eventually lost consciousness during the ordeal.
According to Steven, another passenger, identified as Agneta, was also attacked while attempting to escape towards a nearby homestead. He says the violence continued as the attackers pursued people who had fled the vehicles. Witnesses later contacted his mother, Irene Adhiambo, to inform her that her son had been badly injured. A rescue team arrived roughly 30 minutes later and took him to hospital.
Steven’s wounds were stitched before his mother arranged for him to be transferred to Nightingale Hospital in Kisumu. He was discharged after spending about three days in hospital. His recovery has continued through follow-up appointments because of the fractured arm and injuries to his back. Steven says he remains unable to work because of his condition.
“I am still nursing the wounds. My arm is fractured and my back has not healed. I still have to go to hospital, but I cannot work,” he said.
The destroyed vehicle has created a second challenge for Steven because it was the tool he relied on to make a living. He says the Subaru did not belong to him but to his sister, whom he described as a young widow. According to Steven, she had allowed him to use the vehicle for business because he knew how to drive. His work with the car provided an income that helped him support his parents.
Before taking up the driving job, Steven says he earned his living as a boda boda rider. The Subaru gave him another way to support himself and his family. His injuries have kept him away from work, while the destruction of the vehicle has made returning to the job difficult even as he recovers. His mother says the family’s financial situation has become harder because her son had been contributing to household needs.
“My son was attacked like an animal. He was not a goon; he was doing his work,” she said.
The mother has appealed for assistance to help her son regain his livelihood. She said replacing the vehicle would give Steven an opportunity to return to work and support the family again. She also described herself as a widow struggling to cope with the situation created by her son’s injuries.
The vehicle has also become the subject of a dispute between Steven and Zuena. Steven says he contacted Zuena after leaving hospital to discuss his situation and the loss of the Subaru. He claims he was initially given the impression that assistance would be considered. He says subsequent communication changed, with Zuena advising him to involve a lawyer so that their respective legal representatives could discuss the matter.
Steven later appealed to leaders associated with Linda Mwananchi, including Embakasi East MP Babu Owino. He says he is also yet to receive payment for his driving services on August 15 and 16. The claim is disputed by Zuena, who says she has M-Pesa records showing that payments for the services and fuel were made. The disagreement over those payments remains separate from Sifuna’s new pledge concerning the vehicle.
Zuena has rejected the suggestion that she should personally replace the Subaru. She says she was also caught up in the violence and only discovered later that the vehicle was uninsured. According to her, four people were travelling in the car at the time of the incident. She says her immediate concern after the attack was ensuring that Steven received medical treatment.
Zuena says she arranged private medical care for Steven and settled his hospital bill. She puts the total cost of his treatment at more than Sh300,000 and says she has records showing the payments. She also says she provided him with additional financial support after the incident. Her account is that she has already taken significant steps to assist him with his recovery.
“The most I have been able to do, I have cleared your bill. I have gotten you very good private medical care. I have ensured you have been discharged,” she said.
Zuena says she never agreed to purchase another vehicle for Steven. She maintains that the question of responsibility for the destroyed Subaru should be addressed through lawyers. She also disputes Steven’s claim that she failed to pay him for his work and fuel, saying her payment records contradict that account.
Sifuna’s intervention introduces a possible new route towards resolving Steven’s immediate livelihood problem. His statement specifically promised that the Linda Mwananchi team would replace the vehicle after he read the published account. He did not explain whether the team would acquire a vehicle for Steven directly or address the loss suffered by his sister as the vehicle’s owner. The pledge also did not settle the separate disagreement over driving fees, fuel or medical costs.
For Steven, the promised assistance could help address the problem that has kept him out of work since the incident. He remains in recovery and says his injuries have prevented him from returning to his normal routine. His family has also been seeking a way to restore the income he previously generated through driving. Sifuna’s commitment now puts the Linda Mwananchi leadership at the centre of efforts to help him rebuild that livelihood.
The case also highlights the continuing personal consequences of the violence that affected people travelling to and from political activities in Homa Bay. Steven was working as a taxi driver when he was caught up in the incident. While questions over responsibility for the destroyed vehicle remain, Sifuna’s pledge could provide a practical solution to one of the family’s most pressing concerns.
