Police on Saturday arrested five people at a Linda Mwananchi Movement engagement at Buteyo Miti Park in West Sang’alo Ward.
The arrests, made by officers from Bungoma Police Station, came amid a large turnout at the park, where residents gathered to hear from movement leaders led by former Kanduyi MP Wafula Wamunyinyi.
The event was marred with chaos, which saw a participant attacked and beaten at the venue in an incident that caused a stir among the crowd.
DAP-K allied politician and Bungoma gubernatorial aspirant Zachariah Barasa criticized the arrests, saying Bungoma police and the principal of the Bungoma National Polytechnic should not be used by politicians to settle political scores.
He directed his remarks to the polytechnic principal Godfrey Murunga, saying residents know what is happening at Sang’alo, including the award of contracts and the leasing of institute land to politicians.
Barasa said any politically motivated cases would not succeed in court. He promised to secure the best defense lawyers for those arrested and said the police officers involved would be held responsible once the cases are dismissed.
Wafula Wamunyinyi thanked West Sang’alo residents for the turnout, saying they had listened and spoken loudly in calling for change. “You want leadership that listens, and you want a government that puts Mwananchi first,” he said. He added that the movement is “just the beginning” and called it “unstoppable.”
