By Anderson Ojwang

A week of contrast. Two neighbours welcoming opposition formations in different forms and format.

Rift Valley and her leaders opened the gate to former deputy to President William Ruto, Rigathi Gachagua, on his visit to Emurua Dikirr.

In the last general election, Ruto chose Gachagua as his running mate, and the duo went ahead to win the presidential duel against the Azimio La Umoja of the late Raila Odinga and Martha Karua.

But after two years in office, Ruto and Gachagua fell out, and subsequently the deputy president was impeached and later replaced by Prof Abraham Kithure Kindiki.

After the fallout and eventual impeachment, Gachagua has become the fiercest critic of Ruto and has locked him out of Mt Kenya.

Gachagua’s party, DCP, overran President Ruto’s party, UDA, in the recent Ol Kalou by-election by securing 86 percent of the votes cast against the latter’s 13 percent.

Subsequently, UDA shares in Mt Kenya have dropped drastically, while DCP has become the party of the region and is currently registering mass defections from the ruling party to it.

Interestingly, in Homa Bay, the bedroom of the late Raila and Nyanza at large has witnessed a negative politics against the Linda Mwananchi group, an offshoot of ODM.

Linda Mwananchi was the rebel wing of the late Raila, and last Sunday was welcomed in Homa Bay with blood, deaths, and massive destruction and looting of properties by the local ODM leaders.

Similar scenes had been witnessed in Kisumu and Kisii during the group’s political rallies in the area.

The ODM siblings, Linda Mwananchi and Linda Ground, who only fell out over the broad-based government arrangement and the ODM-UDA coalition, have now turned bitter rivals.

The ODM wing of Linda Ground have reverted and resorted to violence against Linda Mwananchi in the latter’s recent political rallies.

The laughing stock

While the two communities and regions, Mt Kenya and Rift Valley, the only occupants of the State House, have avoided violence, the opposition turf, Nyanza, has continued to dance to the tunes of political violence.

While Mt Kenya boasts of several CS and permanent secretaries in the government and have remained guarded and restrained, Nyanza with only two cabinet slots and a pocket of permanent secretaries have been the loudest and most vocal.

Mt Kenya government officials have been low-key over Ruto’s support, while their Nyanza counterparts have been acting as the prefects and dormitory captains in the new political union.

Irony

Political leaders from Rift Valley, led by Kericho Governor Dr Erick Mutai and Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi among others, came out to urge the residents to welcome Gachagua in the region.

Area MP David Keter: “Gachagua is welcome to Emurua Dikirr. Anyone who wants to come to Emurua Dikirr is welcome.”

Speaking ahead of the rally on Friday, August 21, 2026, Sudi called on residents to allow political competitors to campaign freely and to reject attempts to provoke violence.

“Watu wa Emurua Dikirr, nataka niwaambie, tafadhali, karibisheni huyo Mr One-term MP, karibisheni Mr quarter-term Deputy President. Huyo mtu akuje, mkaribishe hapo, akuje aseme uongo yake hapo, atembee. Mwingine akuje siku ingine, mkaribishe, yule ndio Kenya tunataka,” he said.

Gachagua wrote: “It was also a moment to reflect on the enduring friendship between the Kikuyu and Kalenjin communities. As a son of the Mountain, I was honored to share some of my agricultural produce with Mama Mary Temas, symbolising the continued bond and friendship that no one can break.”

Gachagua also spoke of the historic bond between the Kalenjin and Kikuyu communities:

“The longstanding relationship between the Kalenjin and Kikuyu communities dates back to the 1950s, when Mzee Jomo Kenyatta was first visited by Daniel Arap Moi during his restriction period in Lodwar. This historical bond has been built on mutual respect and shared aspirations, and no one can sever the political ties that unite us—not even individual acts of betrayal.

“I was deeply honoured to visit my Kipsigis supporters in Mogondo Town, Emurua Dikirr Constituency, for a thanksgiving service following the recent by-election in the constituency. Despite our party being less than a year old, we secured an impressive victory with 10,760 votes against our opponents’ 18,266, thanks to your unwavering support for our DCP Candidate, Hon. Vincent Rotich Kibet,” he said.

In Homa Bay, MP Opondo Kaluma warned and banned the use of the word “one term,” terming it as provocative to violence.

The Homa Bay MP recently received summons from the National Cohesion and Integration Commission to help in the investigation over the last weekend’s events.

“Let nobody say there is Linda Mwananchi. As a region we are firmly behind Ruto. If you come to Homa Bay, do not come to abuse President William Ruto. The word one term is provocation to violence for people in Homa Bay. Don’t provoke our people. If you want to give Homa Bay joy, say two term. That is where Baba left us,” he said.

Apology

Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang on Friday in Kakamega publicly apologised to Kenyans and Linda Mwananchi over the violence that was witnessed in Homa Bay.

“I must, as the leader of the people of Homa Bay, bear political responsibilities for the acts of omission and acts of commission of last Sunday. Goons have no place in contemporary Kenya. What was witnessed in Homa Bay last Sunday,” he said.

Kajwang said the gains that the country has achieved in the democratic process cannot be violated by a section of leaders.

“I want to make it very clear that is not the position of the Luo community. That is not the position of the ODM party. This ODM party, Edwin Sifuna has been the secretary for the last nine years. There is nowhere in our ideology where we say we are going to zone Kenya and we are going to prevent other Kenyans from accessing other parts of Kenya,” he said.

Kajwang criticised those behind last Sunday’s violence and asked the government to act.

“We cannot commit the same injustices that have been committed upon us. That is why I offer unconditional apology; we take responsibility for whatever was committed and omitted,” he said.

By Habil Onyango

It is almost a week since the violent incidents were reported in most parts of Homa Bay County by youths perceived to be “goons.”

On Sunday, August 16, 2026, the Linda Mwananchi team, led by Siaya Governor James Orengo, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, Embakasi MP Babu Owino, Trans-Nzoia Governor George Natembeya and Suba South MP Caroly Omondi, made a tour to Homa Bay County.

Their journey started with Nyandiwa and then moved to Sindo within MP Caroly’s territory, and finally landed in Homa Bay Town late in the day.

The tour, however, was marred by violent incidents where youths aligned to the call for President William Ruto’s one term and the other team supporting the President’s two terms clashed.

During the clashes, several people, including a police officer, were attacked and died; some sustained critical injuries; property was destroyed; businesses were looted; hotels were attacked and looted; and vehicles were burnt down.

Several youths have already been arrested following the fracas that ensued, while the politicians continue to blame one another for the attacks by the alleged “goons.”

The memories of the chaos and attacks which were witnessed in the county, and especially in Homa Bay Town, are still fresh in residents’ minds.

A renowned entrepreneur and politician, Isaiah Ogwe, is now calling for compensation to those who lost their loved ones, had property destroyed, and incurred business losses during the material day.

According to Ogwe, the Government is mandated to protect lives and property, and he thanked President William Ruto for the stern directive he has issued on goons and their masters.

“I wish to categorically condemn in the strongest terms the mayhem that was caused in Homa Bay on Sunday 16 August 2026 during the visit by the Linda Mwananchi political leaders.

“It is my appeal that there should be no sacred cows in this. I request that compensation be made to those who lost their loved ones, property as well as business losses incurred,” said Ogwe.

Ogwe, who served as the Homa Bay County Secretary during former Governor Cyprian Awiti’s tenure, has expressed interest in the Homa Bay Town parliamentary seat come Tuesday, August 10, 2027, in the General Elections.

According to Ogwe, the deaths, injuries, destruction of property and loss of businesses witnessed on the day cannot be accepted or justified by right-thinking, peace-loving Kenyans, and more particularly the residents of Homa Bay.

He condemned the misuse of youths, where he alleged that an elected political leader was captured live instructing youths to take the law into their own hands and attack perceived political opponents and further invade hotels where such opponents had booked accommodation.

The youths—the goons—were subsequently given cash and machetes to execute the directive, which sadly they did.

The National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) has already summoned Homa Bay Town MP Opondo Kaluma over alleged inciting remarks made during a public gathering in Homa Bay County.

Kaluma reportedly declared the “one term” phrase prohibited and urged action against opponents of President William Ruto’s re-election.

He is being investigated for potential hate speech, incitement, and political intolerance linked to local political rallies.

“It has also been reported that more than 50 people were injured and are still nursing panga cuts, stone wounds and even bullet wounds in various health facilities,” alleged Ogwe.

“Such attacks are unacceptable, and I condemn the same in equal measure. I wish all the victims quick recovery,” he noted.

According to the parliamentary hopeful, the unwarranted destruction of property that was witnessed reminds the country of wars in Haiti, Yemen and Somalia, adding that no one can believe that it happened in Homa Bay in the 21st century.

“Goons burnt vehicles, hotels were attacked, property was destroyed, racks for the small businesses were damaged and used to barricade roads and their merchandise looted; even churches like the SDA field headquarters were not spared, where looting occurred and property destroyed,” said Ogwe.

Homa Bay Tourists Hotel, one of the facilities which was attacked by the goons, was destroyed, and the owner estimated the damage at over 30 million shillings. On the material day, destruction of businesses was realised, and the town was shut down and businesses closed.

“The economic loss was on a large scale that cannot even be quantified. We cannot afford to have such losses just to protect individual political interests,” warned Ogwe.

“I call upon fellow politicians to guard against inflammatory statements and stop inciting the youths.

“To the youths, do not allow yourselves to be misused or incited by politicians. Our youths need economic empowerment and not incitement to violence,” advised Ogwe.

By Billy Mijungu

Judicial Resource Security should be a central commitment of the new Government in 2027.

For years, the idea of a Judicial Funding Floor has been proposed — with at least 1.5% of national revenue dedicated to judicial functions and the wider justice sector. Such a Justice Funding Compact would go a long way in enabling the Judiciary to discharge its mandate without fear or favour.

Financial security is institutional security. No budget for the Judiciary should be denied, withheld or manipulated because of the whims of individuals or factions within the State that may be displeased by decisions coming from the justice sector.

This is where Judicial Fiscal Sustainability becomes critical. A financially resilient Judiciary is better positioned to function effectively, independently and consistently. Kenya is an increasingly litigious society, but the jurisprudence emerging from virtually every division of the Judiciary is helping to create predictability, establish viable legal pathways and strengthen the rule of law. The State should therefore continue enabling — rather than constraining — this progress.

Judicial Budgetary Independence would further consolidate these gains. There is nothing inherently wrong with the three arms of Government agreeing on a minimum funding floor and appropriate allocation mechanisms that promote predictability, accountability and efficiency. Adequate financing is not a privilege for the Judiciary; it is an investment in access to justice and institutional effectiveness.

The model should therefore be one where the National Government guarantees a minimum, predictable and timely share of national revenue to the Judiciary through the Judiciary Fund. This would strengthen the constitutional principle of judicial independence and give practical meaning to the idea that the three arms of Government are genuinely co-equal.

Perhaps it is time to establish a Judicial Fiscal Guarantee Framework — a durable mechanism that protects the Judiciary from arbitrary financial pressure while maintaining appropriate accountability for public resources.

But institutional transformation must also be communicated.

Every Judicial officer should, in their own way, become an ambassador for the Judiciary — showcasing the reforms, innovations and transformation taking place within the institution. The public must understand the work being done to improve access to justice and strengthen the administration of justice.

For too long, presidential politics has placed enormous pressure on the Judiciary, particularly after every five-year electoral cycle, when the institution is required to help the country navigate politically charged disputes arising from chaotic or contested polling.

A strong Judiciary should not have to negotiate for its survival every five years.

Judicial Resource Security is therefore not about protecting judges from accountability. It is about protecting justice from political convenience.

The Government elected in 2027 should make this commitment.

By Erick Otieno

In the rural villages of Nyatike South Sub-County, where poverty and limited economic opportunities continue to challenge many families, a small women’s revolving fund is quietly changing lives.

For members of Ochuna Busy Ladies in Kaler Ward, the journey began with KSh40,000 in financial support from the Hitaji Development Initiative, an organisation committed to empowering rural women and girls.

Today, the group’s revolving fund has grown to KSh130,000, with membership also increasing as more women discover the benefits of working together through savings, affordable business loans and mentorship.

The women are among several groups supported by Hitaji across Kaler and Got Kachola wards. Other beneficiary groups include Olando, Mine Nyalo, Arombe, Rapogi and Join Hands, among others.

Hitaji supports legally registered women’s groups with loans at a relatively low interest rate of five per cent, enabling members to start or expand small businesses and improve their household incomes.

For many members of Ochuna Busy Ladies, the support means more than just access to capital. Most of the women are widows who rely on small businesses to provide food, pay school fees and meet other basic needs for their families.

Beyond economic empowerment, the women have embraced football as part of their programme. The groups receive footballs and jerseys and participate in women’s soccer, which provides an opportunity for physical exercise, social interaction and health awareness.

The organisation’s programmes extend beyond women’s economic empowerment. Hitaji also runs public health initiatives focusing on sexual and reproductive health, pregnancy and HIV/AIDS awareness among women and girls.

Its education programme is equally transforming lives, particularly for children from financially disadvantaged families.

Currently, the organisation is sponsoring 15 students in secondary schools and five girls pursuing various university programmes. Another 20 beneficiaries have already graduated and are working in different sectors.

For Form Three student Akinyi Nyamiro of Sota SDA Secondary School, the intervention came at a critical moment in her education journey.

Akinyi, who previously attended Oruba Primary School in Migori town, said her hopes of continuing with education were fading when she completed primary school because her parents could not afford the costs of educating her and her siblings.

“As the fourth-born girl in a family where my siblings are also still going on with their studies, it looked like the end of the road for me,” she said.

Her fortunes changed when Hitaji identified her as a bright but needy student and began supporting her from Form Two.

The organisation has since been paying her school fees and providing the school requirements she needs to continue with her studies.

For Akinyi, the intervention has restored hope and given her a chance to pursue her ambitions.

Hitaji’s Head of Programmes, Victor Charo, said the organisation deliberately targets bright but needy girls from rural communities.

Once a beneficiary is identified and approved, he said, Hitaji seeks to provide comprehensive support throughout her education journey, from secondary school to university.

“We strictly sponsor bright but needy girls. Once such a girl is identified, the programme covers her needs throughout her studies, from secondary school to university,” Charo said.

He said women’s groups are also selected based on their financial needs and their ability to meet the requirements of the programme.

According to Charo, groups must be legally registered through the relevant social services structures before they can qualify for support.

Hitaji Development Initiative is a non-governmental organisation registered in Kenya under the Public Benefit Organisations Act. Founded in 2011, the organisation was established to respond to the challenges facing women and girls in rural Kenya, with a particular focus on Migori County.

The organisation was founded by Asenath Asha Lutabingwa, a Kenyan and daughter of Nyatike who is based in the United States. She established the initiative as part of her desire to give back to her community and contribute to improving the lives of women and girls in her rural home.

Lutabingwa serves as the organisation’s Founder and Chief Executive Officer.

Through its programmes, Hitaji has built a model that combines economic empowerment, education, health awareness, leadership development, entrepreneurship training, microfinance, revolving funds, partnerships and networking.

The organisation’s reach currently covers Nyatike South Sub-County, particularly Kaler and Got Kachola wards, where its seven community groups continue to benefit from its programmes.

For the women of Ochuna Busy Ladies, the transformation from a KSh40,000 initial fund to a KSh130,000 revolving fund demonstrates what community-based economic empowerment can achieve when women are given access to affordable capital, knowledge and an opportunity to work together.

And for girls such as Akinyi, the organisation represents something even more profound—a second chance at education and a pathway towards a better future.

In communities where financial hardship can easily bring a child’s education to an abrupt end, Hitaji is betting on the power of women’s economic independence and education to transform entire families, one beneficiary at a time.

By James Okoth

Awuor Lilian had only spent four months at Victoria Annex, but in that short time the facility had become something much bigger than a hospital.

It had become a place where she felt safe.

A place where she could meet other people living with sickle cell disease, share experiences, encourage others and receive care from staff she says treated patients with love.

Now that sense of security has been replaced by uncertainty.

Lilian says she woke up to the news that the facility was being closed, with patients and staff given only days to vacate the premises.

And as beds and equipment are reportedly moved out, some patients remain admitted inside.

Her question is painfully simple:

“What’s next for us?”

In a Facebook post expressing her distress, Lilian described Victoria Annex as a “saviour” to her and many other sickle-cell warriors.

“This hospital has been a saviour to me for the past 4 months. It’s also a saviour to many warriors.”

She said the facility had become a community where patients could feel understood.

“This place wasn’t only a hospital but it’s also a community for warriors. This is where you could come and feel safe and at home.”

For Lilian, that community mattered almost as much as the treatment.

Patients could meet fellow warriors, share their experiences and encourage each other through the difficult reality of living with a lifelong blood disorder.

Then came the news that has now left her and others wondering what happens next.

“Today they have been given a three-day notice. To vacate this premises by Friday.”

According to her post, some patients were still admitted even as beds were being moved.

“Some of us are still admitted but we are here wondering what’s next for us.”

Her greatest concern is one shared by many patients who depend on public healthcare — affordability.

“What’s next for warriors who could only afford to use SHA?”

Then she asks again:

“What’s next for us?”

Her final words are not a policy argument.

They are the words of a patient who says she feels that a place she had come to depend on is suddenly disappearing.

“This breaks my heart so much.”

A facility built for the warriors

The anxiety comes at a particularly difficult time because Victoria Annex was not an ordinary outpatient facility.

It had been deliberately repurposed and refurbished as a specialised Sickle Cell Disease Management Centre.

When Kisumu County reopened the facility in May 2025, the county described it as a specialised Sickle Cell and Surgical Centre. The county government’s own reopening speech said one of the key features of the Annex would be its role as a dedicated SCD management centre.

JOOTRH likewise described the facility as a dedicated centre for comprehensive sickle-cell care.

The intention was clear: bring specialised treatment closer to patients in Kisumu and the wider Western Kenya region, where sickle cell disease is highly prevalent.

At the time, JOOTRH’s chief executive said patients required continuous and specialised management and that Victoria Annex had been designed around those unique needs. The facility was equipped with a pharmacy, laboratory and triage services to support haematological and surgical care.

For warriors, that investment created hope.

For some, it also created something they had not previously had — a dedicated space where their condition was understood.

Now they fear that space is being dismantled.

‘Where does the county expect these sickle survivors to go?’

Lilian is not alone in expressing alarm.

Another post circulating among the sickle-cell community asks the question directly:

“Where does the county expect these sickle survivors to go?”

The writer says patients have not been adequately informed about what is happening.

“No one is explaining to them what is happening.”

The post points to the apparent removal of beds and hospital equipment while patients are still admitted.

“Hospital equipment and beds used to keep these survivors are being removed from this facility yet we still have some of them like Awuor Lilian who are still admitted.”

It is an image that has unsettled the sickle-cell community: patients still needing treatment while the physical infrastructure around them is being dismantled.

The writer describes Victoria Annex as a facility that had only recently been opened as a specialised sickle-cell and surgical hub.

Then comes the emotional appeal:

“Someone must come out and tell these survivors why their only hope to live another day is being shut down.”

The words reflect the depth of fear among patients.

For many warriors, the concern is not merely about changing the location of a clinic.

It is about whether the change will affect access to medicines, specialists, blood services, advanced procedures and affordable treatment.

A growing centre of specialised care

The timing of the reported move is what makes the situation particularly difficult to understand.

Victoria Annex had been expanding its specialised services.

JOOTRH says the facility introduced automated red-cell exchange therapy, an advanced procedure that replaces abnormal sickled red blood cells with healthy donor cells. The treatment can help reduce complications including stroke, severe anaemia, acute chest syndrome, recurrent pain crises and organ damage.

By January 2026, JOOTRH reported that the number of sickle-cell patients attending the clinic had doubled from about 30 to 60 every week since red-cell apheresis began at the facility.

The hospital’s current information lists an adult sickle-cell clinic every Monday and a paediatric clinic every Wednesday at Victoria Annex.

It also lists adult and paediatric sickle-cell services at Prime Care Centre on Tuesdays.

In June 2026, the national government went further, designating JOOTRH as Kenya’s first public centre for advanced sickle-cell treatment.

Medical Services Principal Secretary Dr Ouma Oluga said the facility was offering specialised red-cell exchange therapy at Victoria Annex and that the government was working with King’s College London towards transforming the Kisumu facility into a regional centre of excellence for sickle-cell management.

Health leaders from across the country were subsequently taken through the specialised services at Victoria Annex, which was described as a regional centre of excellence for sickle-cell disease management and advanced blood and cell therapies.

For warriors now watching beds and equipment being moved, the apparent reversal raises an uncomfortable question:

What changed?

From hope to uncertainty

The county government’s own description of Victoria Annex makes the current anxiety even more striking.

The facility was presented as part of Kisumu’s response to diseases that significantly affect its population, including sickle cell disease.

It was renovated, repurposed and positioned as a specialised centre.

JOOTRH later reported that the facility had become an important part of its sickle-cell programme, including support groups for patients and families.

A December 2025 JOOTRH publication described Victoria Annex as serving two key roles: sickle-cell and blood-disorder care alongside surgical and gynaecological services. It also highlighted the facility’s automated red-cell exchange service as a major development in care for patients with sickle-cell disease.

For patients, therefore, Victoria Annex was becoming an established part of their treatment journey.

Closing or substantially relocating that service now risks creating another period of uncertainty.

And uncertainty is precisely what many warriors say they can least afford.

The SHA question

At the centre of the controversy is money.

Sickle cell disease is a lifelong condition.

Patients may require regular clinic reviews, medication, laboratory monitoring, blood transfusions and, for some, specialised procedures.

JOOTRH says its comprehensive SCD programme includes hydroxyurea therapy, blood transfusion services, infection prevention and management, nutritional counselling, psychosocial support and long-term follow-up.

The hospital’s advanced red-cell exchange programme adds another layer of specialised care.

Patients therefore want to know whether the proposed arrangement will guarantee continuity of all these services.

And more importantly:

Will SHA cover what they need?

Lilian’s Facebook post captures the fear among patients who rely almost entirely on public healthcare.

“What’s next for warriors who could only afford to use SHA?”

That is a question Kisumu County and JOOTRH will need to answer clearly.

If services are moved to Prime Care, patients need to know what changes in financing, what remains covered and whether there will be any additional financial burden.

Prime Care is JOOTRH’s private wing, although the hospital’s current website confirms that it already provides both adult and paediatric sickle-cell clinics there.

The issue, therefore, is not whether Prime Care can provide SCD services.

The issue is whether the transition will preserve affordability, continuity and access for the patients currently relying on Victoria Annex.

The danger is not simply the building

Sickle cell disease requires more than a consultation room.

The disease can cause serious complications affecting multiple organs and may require urgent intervention.

JOOTRH says automated red-cell exchange can reduce the risk of complications such as stroke, acute chest syndrome, recurrent pain crises and organ damage.

The Government Advertising Agency has described sickle cell disease as a major health challenge in Kisumu and the wider Lake Region, reporting that approximately 4.5 per cent of children in Kisumu are born with the disease and around 21 per cent carry the sickle-cell trait. It also notes that without early screening, a large proportion of affected children may not survive beyond five years.

That makes continuity of care particularly important.

A disruption does not automatically mean patients will be denied treatment.

But every unresolved question — where patients report, who treats them, where their records go, whether medicines are available, whether specialised equipment remains operational and what SHA pays — adds anxiety to families already dealing with a demanding disease.

More than a clinic

Perhaps the most overlooked part of the Victoria Annex story is the community that patients say developed around it.

Lilian describes a place where warriors could meet others who understood what they were going through.

“We got to interact with fellow warriors and share our experience. We encouraged each other…”

That social connection is significant.

Sickle cell disease can isolate patients through stigma, repeated hospital visits and the disruption it can cause to school, work and family life.

JOOTRH itself says it has facilitated the formation of warrior support groups that provide assistance to patients and families.

Victoria Annex consequently became not only a point of medical care but also a meeting place for a community.

For patients, moving services is therefore about more than changing an address.

It threatens to break up a system of care and support that they had only recently begun to trust.

‘We cannot fight the county’

The anger among warriors is reportedly growing, but some patients also recognise the imbalance between themselves and government authorities.

They say they cannot fight the county government.

But they can ask questions.

And the questions are becoming louder.

Why was the Annex refurbished and launched as a specialised SCD centre?

Why was advanced red-cell exchange introduced there?

Why was the facility presented nationally as a centre of excellence?

Why were patients encouraged to build their care around the facility?

And why are they now reportedly being asked to leave?

Most importantly, what safeguards are in place for patients who are still admitted?

Is a reversal possible?

Patients have been told that a reversal is possible.

That possibility offers a narrow window for dialogue.

The solution does not necessarily have to be a confrontation between the county government and warriors.

It could begin with an urgent meeting involving the county health department, JOOTRH management, clinicians, patient representatives and other stakeholders.

The patients need an explanation.

They need a transition plan.

They need clarity on SHA.

They need assurance that medicines will remain available.

They need to know whether the specialised red-cell exchange programme will continue without interruption.

And they need assurance that no patient will be abandoned in the middle of treatment.

The bigger question for Kisumu

The Victoria Annex controversy comes at a time when Kisumu is positioning itself as a regional centre for specialised sickle-cell treatment.

The national government has already recognised JOOTRH’s advanced SCD services.

JOOTRH says the facility is intended to reduce the need for patients to travel outside the region for specialised care.

The county government’s own strategic planning has identified Victoria Annex as part of its approach to sickle-cell care.

That makes the current uncertainty more than an administrative dispute over a building.

It is a test of whether Kisumu can maintain continuity in a specialised public-health programme after investing heavily in establishing it.

For warriors, the stakes are intensely personal.

Lilian has already told the public what Victoria Annex meant to her.

It was a place where she felt safe.

A place where she found other warriors.

A place where she received care.

Now she is asking where she goes next.

Another patient advocate has asked the same question from a different angle:

“Where does the county expect these sickle survivors to go?”

Those questions deserve clear answers.

Because while officials can discuss facilities, budgets, ownership and administrative arrangements, patients experience the consequences differently.

They experience them from hospital beds.

They experience them while waiting for medication.

They experience them when a pain crisis comes.

They experience them when they need blood.

They experience them when they need specialised treatment.

And they experience them when the place they had come to trust suddenly begins moving its beds away.

For Kisumu’s sickle-cell warriors, the issue is therefore not simply whether Victoria Annex remains open.

It is whether the specialised, affordable and continuous care that the facility was created to provide will survive whatever changes the county has planned.

Lilian has already asked the question that now hangs over Victoria Annex:

“What’s next for us?”

The county owes the warriors an answer, before the last bed leaves Victoria Annex.

By Anderson Ojwang

Twenty-three years ago, Kenyans witnessed the assassination of Dr Odhiambo Mbai, a respected scholar from Kochai, Homa Bay County.

Odhiambo, who chaired the Devolution Committee during the 2002–2004 Bomas of Kenya constitutional conference, became a sacrifice for today’s devolved governments.

In Kenya’s annals of history, Dr Odhiambo is revered for the birth of a new Kenya, and his sacrifice became the cornerstone of the country’s 2010 Constitution.

This weekend, leaders are expected to converge at his Kochia home for his 23rd anniversary – a moment and day of reflection.

But all is not well in Baba’s bedroom of Homa Bay County, as last Sunday, the home of freedom fighters – the late Tom Mboya, the late Ojijo Oteko, Odhiambo Mbai, the late matriarch Mama Phoebe Asiyo, among others – was turned into blood, deaths and wanton destruction of property.

With only 50 days to the first anniversary of former Prime Minister, the late Raila Amolo Odinga, his bedroom has been thrown into mourning, lamentations and tears by the same people he mentored and left the mantle to.

Raila sacrificed, was detained and jailed for the struggle for freedom of speech and association, and founded a political party, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), as a vehicle of change and a better Kenya.

But on Sunday, the party national chairman and Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, Homa Bay county chairman and Homa Bay MP Opondo Kaluma, the vice county chairman and County Assembly of Homa Bay majority leader Richard Ogindo, and the county ODM youth leader Abdi allegedly rewound the decades-long clock of struggle.

The sacrifices of the assassinated leaders – Dr Odhiambo Mbai, Tom Mboya – and the detention of Raila, among others, were flushed down the drain as goons unleashed violence on the peaceful brigades of Linda Mwananchi.

Losers and winners

The bloody confrontation, apart from claiming lives and leaving a trail of injuries and destruction, also had political consequences.

In the political context, it was a double-edged sword: on one side, the losers; on the other side, the winners.

Losers

The broad-based coalition is the main casualty; they could have succeeded in containing the Linda Mwananchi brigade of Edwin Sifuna, Babu Owino and James Orengo from the county, but the knife has cut deeper.

The gains made by President William Ruto in Homa Bay and Nyanza suffered a major setback. The negative publicity and actions have dented the President’s approval in the county and the region.

After the 2022 presidential election, Homa Bay became the first destination for Ruto after his victory on 22 October 2022.

President Ruto has made at least eight to twelve trips to Homa Bay County since taking office in September 2022.

His visits included major development tours, church services, the opening of the Devolution Conference, and launching projects like affordable housing and road infrastructure in partnership with local leadership.

Ruto’s move was to inherit the bedroom, and in his strategy, he has a team of confidants: Dr Raymond Omollo, Permanent Secretary for Internal Security, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, Homa Bay Governor and ODM National Chairperson Gladys Wanga, and Homa Bay MP Opondo Kaluma.

But the last Sunday incident now forces Ruto back to the drawing board to reclaim the losses occasioned by his allies.

Wanga

Wanga, the ODM chairperson, faces an acceptability test nationally after the last Sunday incident. Already, from Turkana to Kwale and to other parts of the country, the drums of “unwanted” are beating.

Similarly, in Homa Bay, she is suffocating from political rebellion, and the defence of her seat looks like a mountain to climb. Wanga must have arrived at her political climax and is now witnessing the downward spiral.

Kaluma

The Homa Bay MP recently received summons from the National Cohesion and Integration Commission to help in the investigation over the last weekend’s events.

“Let nobody say there is Linda Mwananchi. As a region, we are firmly behind Ruto. If you come to Homa Bay, do not come to abuse President William Ruto. The word ‘one term’ is provocation to violence for people in Homa Bay. Don’t provoke our people. If you want to give Homa Bay joy, say ‘two terms.’ That is where Baba left us,” he said.

Kaluma is under immense political pressure from the former Homa Bay County Secretary, Isaiah Ogwe. Ogwe is respected in the area because of his development record and support for the needy.

His entry into the race puts Kaluma in a precarious political situation.

ODM

The party is fast losing its footing, first over the fallout and the coalition with UDA. The Sunday incident left ODM faltering to the brink.

Winners

For Sifuna, it was a victory; he was able to stake his claim in Baba’s bedroom and received approval from the region. The incident pushed his national rating and approval higher.

Babu, ahead of the rally, said they would colonise Homa Bay and left victorious.

“Embakasi East MP Babu Owino on 16th, we are going to Homa Bay. We are coming in peace. Those mobilising goons, we know your plot. We are coming to Homa Bay to colonise it. We are not cowards,” he said ahead of the rally.

Babu is emerging as the heir apparent to Raila, and his influence is fast growing in the region.

Orengo, whose political future was in doubt, is back and becoming a major player. In Nyanza, he is becoming the focal point.

The Linda Mwananchi formation gained ground in the region, and once the party is unveiled, it is likely to become the party of the region.

Curtains fall

Last Sunday, curtains may have fallen, but with some leaders fading out from the scene while others are blossoming.