Oliver Jaoko, alias Olivetti, wanted over the Homa Bay Linda Mwananchi rally violence, has surrendered to police as 37 suspects remain in custody and pressure mounts over who organised the attacks.
The man at the centre of the manhunt following Sunday's deadly violence in Homa Bay has surrendered to police, even as investigators continue piecing together who organised the attacks that rocked a Linda Mwananchi rally in the county.
Oliver Jaoko, widely known by his nickname Olivetti, turned himself in at Muthaiga Police Station after Siaya Governor James Orengo attempted to present him to detectives at the DCI headquarters in Homa Bay town, only for officers there to say they had not been briefed on the directive to receive him. Orengo said he and his team then escorted Jaoko to Muthaiga instead.
Jaoko had been named by the National Police Service (NPS) as a person of interest in connection with the chaos witnessed during the Sunday, August 16 rally, which left roads barricaded, businesses destroyed, vehicles torched and vandalised, and several people injured. He is accused of having organised elements of the violence.
The violence claimed the life of a police officer after the vehicle he was travelling in lost control amid the chaos, with five other officers among those injured alongside members of the public. The disorder forced a team led by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, in Homa Bay for the rally, to seek alternative routes into the town after major roads were blocked.
Police say 37 suspected gang members have been arrested in connection with the incident, with officers recovering an assortment of crude weapons including machetes, rungus, metal rods, knives and torches. Some of those arrested have already taken plea and been placed on bond, while investigations continue against others, including individuals facing gun-related allegations.
The NPS says its operations to track down anyone else linked to the violence, including alleged organisers, financiers and sponsors, remain ongoing. "Those who recruit, finance, mobilise, arm or otherwise facilitate criminal elements to cause violence and disorder will be pursued and brought to justice," the Service said in a statement.
The Homa Bay chaos has triggered pointed political accusations. Embakasi East MP Babu Owino and Governor Orengo have alleged that Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga and Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma were behind the sponsoring of goons who attacked the Linda Mwananchi convoy — allegations that have not been independently verified and which both leaders would need to respond to.
Separately, the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) has summoned Kaluma to appear before it over a viral video in which he was heard telling residents not to allow Linda Mwananchi leaders to hold their rally in the area. Kaluma has maintained that his remarks, delivered largely in a local dialect, were taken out of context and did not amount to hate speech.
Governor Wanga has separately dismissed claims that Homa Bay is unsafe for rival political factions, describing such allegations as unverified propaganda and insisting the county remains open and peaceful.
The incident adds to a growing pattern of violence at political rallies across the country, with rival camps repeatedly trading blame over who is behind the disorder.