Today In History: Raila Odinga Whipped by an Elderly Man in Kwale

On September 29, 2014, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga visited Kinango in Kwale County for a political rally aimed at promoting his Okoa Kenya Initiative.

This initiative sought to amend the Kenyan Constitution to address several critical issues, including decentralising security by giving county governors control over regional security, improving the electoral process to ensure free and fair elections, strengthening the devolution process to empower county governments, and addressing land ownership and management issues.

At the time of his visit to Kwale, Odinga was the opposition leader and served as the coalition leader for the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD).

He was accompanied by several other leaders, including Moses Wetangula, who was the Bungoma Senator, and Johnstone Muthama, who was the Senator of Machakos County.

Raila Odinga Whipped in Kwale

Odinga was welcomed at the rally by various Coastal leaders, including Saalim Mvurya, the Kwale Governor, Hassan Omar, the Mombasa Senator, and Jumwa Boi, the Kwale Senator. The rally featured traditional dances and music to engage the crowd.

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As part of the celebration, Odinga joined a group of traditional dancers known as the Segenya dancers, performing on stage to connect with local culture and energise the rally attendees. He was accompanied on stage by Senators Muthama and Wetangula.

While Odinga was dancing, an elderly man emerged from the crowd, approached him from behind, and struck him with a stick, also hitting Governor Salim Mvurya. The elderly man was dressed in grey shorts, a white T-shirt, and slippers.

Man who Whipped Odinga Released

Security personnel quickly apprehended him, and the rally continued with minimal disruption. Odinga downplayed the incident, opting to continue his address to avoid escalating tensions. The incident happened briefly, and both Odinga and his security team were caught off guard.

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Later, police determined that the elderly man was mentally unstable. Kinango Administration Police Commandant Peter Musyoka confirmed the arrest of the unidentified assailant but noted that he had been released.

“We have released the man because we have established that he is insane,” Mr. Musyoka stated.

Reports suggested that the man was upset because his wife was dancing suggestively with Raila Odinga. Despite the incident, Raila forgave the man and requested that the police not press charges.

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