NAROK, Kenya — A rally led by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna in Narok Town was briefly disrupted on Sunday after a teargas canister was thrown into a crowd, temporarily halting the Linda Mwananchi gathering amid rising political tensions.
Sifuna had earlier attended a church service at Covenant Church International (CCI) in Ntulele alongside Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino and other leaders before proceeding to the rally in Narok Town.
Witnesses reported signs of tension hours before the event after police allegedly ordered the removal of speakers set up for the gathering.
Despite the standoff, Sifuna’s camp remained defiant, maintaining that authorities had been formally notified about the Sunday rally.
The leaders later addressed supporters as planned, though proceedings were briefly interrupted when teargas was lobbed into the crowd.
Images and videos circulating online showed Sifuna and Owino standing their ground as smoke engulfed the area, urging supporters to remain calm.
Some attendees were heard chanting anti-government slogans, while others vowed not to disperse despite the disruption.
“They have started throwing teargas at us, but we are going nowhere. We are not going to run away,” one supporter shouted as the crowd pushed back against the disturbance.
After a brief pause, the two leaders resumed addressing the gathering, even as heavy smoke lingered and light rain fell over the town. The rally proceeded without further major incidents.
The Narok event comes amid an escalating internal contest within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ahead of a planned National Delegates Convention (NDC).
The Linda Mwananchi faction has signaled it will hold parallel engagements and has already indicated it will boycott the planned convention, citing alleged irregularities and questioning its legitimacy.
Speaking earlier during the church service, Sifuna said the coming week would be decisive for the party as rival factions prepare to meet in Nairobi.
“It is going to be a very important week for us as ODM. It is good that they have said that the meeting will be in Nairobi. They have been running taking their meetings in Kilifi and other places. We will meet eye to eye,” Sifuna stated.
The Linda Mwananchi faction is expected to head to Nairobi next week, where it plans to confront the rival “Linda Ground” group during the party’s scheduled convention, setting the stage for a high-stakes political showdown.
