By Sandra Blessings
In the last month, local barbers in Homa Bay have been busy and making a killing in business as youths scramble for haircuts.
No more rasta, uncombed and unkempt hair, or shabby looks among youths in Homa Bay County, as these are perceived as a direct ticket to becoming a government visitor through arrest.
More importantly, the town has got back on its feet, and businesses can now operate for long hours. There is no longer intimidation and harassment by goons.
The rampant drug abuse that was common among the youths has faded, as police officers have been conducting raids and checking the lips and hands of youths, forcing many of them to flee to other regions.
So, if you are a youth planning to visit Homa Bay and you have rasta or your hair is unkempt, be warned that you could easily land in a police cell and find yourself defending yourself in a court of law.
And now, residents of Homa Bay town can enjoy their evenings in open places and walk home without any fear of attack by criminals at night.
In a nutshell, Internal Security Principal Secretary Dr Raymond Omollo has lived up to his promise to reverse the runaway insecurity in the town and its environs.
Turning Point
Omollo will go down in the annals of history as one who stopped four years of security decay in the region and restored confidence among residents and the business community.
Omollo had issued a stern warning to Homa Bay goons that the Government would not relent in its mission to weed out such criminal elements in the county.
Omollo maintained that the crackdown on criminal gangs in Homa Bay would continue to ensure that further losses to the business community came to an end.
When he spoke in North Kabwoch Ward, Ndhiwa Constituency, on Saturday, 17 October 2026, during a consultative meeting with traders, Omollo warned youths affiliated with criminal groups that their days were numbered, as security agencies were pursuing them to restore order in the county.
“I want to issue a stern warning to criminal elements who are interfering with our business community and are taking advantage by intimidating them, making it difficult to operate either at night or during the day, that through agencies we are coming for you.
“The Government has really promoted businesses in Homa Bay through the initiation of various development projects, and I want to appeal to our youths, just as I have done before, not to take advantage of joblessness to engage in criminal activities,” Omollo said.
Omollo said, “We will not allow anyone, after taking his bhang or alcohol and becoming intoxicated, to start interfering with our business people. This will not happen,” he said.
“Our security team will not relent in the war against goons who are intimidating traders and robbing them of their property,” he added.
Atrocities
At the height of goon activity and criminal activities, traders, residents and even politicians were not spared their wrath.
A liquor dealer in the town told Western Insight how one of the goon commanders in the town sent three teenage criminals to his premises to harass and intimidate him.
“I had counted money and was preparing to close. The business was new. Three teens walked into the facility. One grabbed Sh 30,000 in sales for the day, while the other two went for the whiskies. They roughed me up while another one tried to knife me.
“As a man, I could not allow the boys to steal and kill me. There was an iron rod, and that is what I used to demobilise them. The police came, found them lying down and took them away,” said the trader, who did not want to be named.
One of the ringleaders of the goons would walk into clubs and pubs in the town, pick expensive brands and walk away without paying.
The chief goon at one point nearly killed a Nairobi bouncer who had been employed by a local entertainment joint.
A pharmacy operator in the town was forced to enter into an agreement with the goons to pay protection fees at the end of every month.
For members of the county assembly, the chief goon would stand at the assembly gate, and they would not drive out without parting with Sh 10,000. However, this habit was stopped by the police.
The group left a trail of property destruction, injuries and theft as its members caused mayhem and took charge of the town.
Crackdown
Of late, police in Homa Bay have intensified patrols following the arrest of Abdi alongside 40 other suspected goons who allegedly looted several businesses within the Central Business District (CBD) on the night of 9 October 2026.
Beyond the theft of stock, rioters lit bonfires using tyres, blocked major transit roads and destroyed public infrastructure such as streetlights. However, police successfully recovered crude weapons, including pangas, as well as a variety of stolen items during the ongoing crackdown.
He urged them to venture into other income-generating activities for sustainable livelihoods instead of engaging in criminal activities.
Losses
Early this month, severe business paralysis and millions of shillings in financial losses were reported following a wave of violence and looting triggered by the high-profile arrest of suspected gang coordinator Kassim Sebo Abdi, alias Commander, in Homa Bay.
During the incident, businesses were paralysed, and criminal elements hijacked the demonstrations following the arrest, breaking into multiple retail shops and businesses.
Homa Bay County Commissioner Ronald Mwiwawi assured traders of heightened security, warning that no criminal individual would be allowed to interfere with other people’s businesses.
According to Mwiwawi, the security team would ensure that the business community operated in a safe environment by providing adequate security during the day and at night.
“I want to commit to you that I will ensure that you are safe and can do your business even for 24 hours by providing the necessary security so that you can make money and build wealth to enable you to take your children to school and promote one generation after another.
“This is my commitment to you, and I will do it without fear or favour,” the Commissioner assured the business community, whose members were drawn from various sectors across Homa Bay.
During the chaos that took place at Raila Odinga Stadium on 3 October 2026, Osogo alleged that she cheated death by a whisker after being attacked by the organised gang.
Arrest of the Homa Bay Gang Leader
Abdi, who is also the ODM Homa Bay County youth leader, was arrested following a dramatic confrontation between his team and the police at the Homa Bay Bus Stage.
Abdi’s arrest was carried out by officers from Homa Bay Police Station and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) from Homa Bay Sub-County, under the command of County Commander Lawrence Koilem.
The officers were executing a warrant issued by the Law Courts on 14 August 2026, following an alleged assault causing actual bodily harm, contrary to Section 251 of the Penal Code.
The officers had to shoot into the air to disperse rowdy men who tried to obstruct the police as they arrested Abdi and seven others.
Abdi has been labelled by the police as a “chief goon” and has been the target of a manhunt following deadly violence and property destruction during the Linda Mwananchi political rally in Homa Bay on 16 August 2026.
He had previously defied DCI summonses to appear at the Homa Bay County Headquarters and went underground before his arrest on Thursday.
The violence against Siaya Governor James Orengo, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Babu Owino, the MP for Embakasi East, in a convoy led to the loss of life, including that of a police officer.
Many other people were left with severe injuries; several vehicles were torched, and property estimated to be worth millions of shillings was also destroyed.
The youth leader, who has been on the police radar for some time, is said to be connected to some of the powerful politicians in the county.
Factory Reset
Finally, Homa Bay is returning to a factory reset after years of goon-related blackmail, manipulation, extortion, harassment, intimidation and violence.
The ongoing police crackdown on goons and crooks in Homa Bay town has brought a sigh of relief to the business community, county employees, residents, motorists, hotels, clubs and the political class.
Gyms
Police have intensified raids on gyms, and several people have been arrested at these facilities.
