Sifuna’s Kitengela rally was govt-funded - Salasya

File Image Of Peter Salasya

Mumias East MP Peter Salasya has alleged that the Edwin Sifuna-led rally in Kitengela that descended into chaos on Sunday, February 15, 2026, was stage-managed and financed by the government.

In a statement posted on his X account the same evening, Salasya claimed the faction aligned to Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna was being used to create the impression that the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is divided.

According to the lawmaker, the police action — which saw officers fire teargas and shoot in the air to disperse the crowd after speeches had concluded — suggested the gathering was not genuinely anti-government.

“Kitengela analyses why people are teargassed for them to run for their lives after they finish their speeches so that Kenyans believe it’s an anti-government movement yet are being oiled by the same government. Mchezo wa tauni wakora wao,” Salasya posted.

The rally, held under the Linda Mwananchi banner, was organised by a section of ODM leaders allied to Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino. The event attracted thousands of supporters, mostly youth, in Kajiado County.

Police lobbed teargas canisters into the crowd, forcing attendees to flee. Reports also indicated that officers fired shots in the air and damaged the public address system and dais, abruptly cutting short the meeting.

The chaos underscored deepening rifts within the Orange Democratic Movement. Sifuna and his allies have opposed a proposed cooperation arrangement between ODM and the ruling United Democratic Alliance ahead of the 2027 General Election.

The internal wrangles come just days after ODM’s National Executive Council resolved to remove Sifuna as secretary-general — a decision temporarily halted by the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal.

Meanwhile, a separate ODM faction led by party leader Oburu Odinga held a parallel rally at Tononoka Grounds in Mombasa County, further highlighting the party’s internal divisions.