What Osotsi Said in Munungo before he was attacked in Kisumu!

Godfrey Osotsi during a past event

What Osotsi Said in Munungo before he was attacked in Kisumu!

Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi had urged residents of Munungo area to embrace peace and avoid confrontation with security officers, just days before he was attacked by armed goons in Kisumu County.

Speaking during a visit to the area, Osotsi called on Mining Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho to personally intervene in ongoing disputes surrounding mining activities, noting that the matter required urgent attention.

“I am asking the Cabinet Secretary in charge of mining, Hassan Joho, not to stay in Nairobi. If he is in Mombasa campaigning for ‘Tutam’, he should come and resolve this issue,” Osotsi said.

The senator revealed that he had previously visited Joho’s office over the matter, expressing optimism that the concerns raised by locals would be addressed.

“I have gone to his office and he assured me that he will resolve this issue,” he added.

Osotsi further appealed to residents to maintain calm, warning against violent protests that could escalate tensions in the region.

“I am asking my people here that as we seek solutions, let us maintain peace. If we continue with violence, let us still keep peace,” he stated.

He cautioned locals against engaging in clashes with police, urging restraint even in the face of provocation.

“When I leave here, I do not want to hear that you fought the police again. I do not want to hear that you clashed again,” he said.

His remarks came in the wake of rising tensions in neighbouring Siaya County, where two people were shot dead after demonstrators stormed Ramula Police Post in Gem, Yala Sub-county.

According to Gem Sub-county Police Commander Charles Wafula, the protesters were opposing a licensed gold mining firm seeking to operate in the area.

Wafula said the demonstrators blocked the Ramula–Luanda road before marching to Ramula market and later forcing their way into the police post, where they allegedly destroyed property and set a tractor on fire.

Police officers reportedly fired warning shots before opening fire after being overwhelmed, killing two youths on the spot as the crowd dispersed.

Siaya County Commissioner Nobert Komora confirmed the incident, stating that the bodies were moved to Yala Sub-county Hospital mortuary.

Days later, Osotsi himself became a victim of violence after he was attacked in Kisumu on Wednesday, April 8.

According to his communication director Derick Luvega, the senator had made a routine stop in the Acacia area before heading to Java House at West End Mall, where he met a friend and interacted with members of the public.

Luvega said a group of armed individuals confronted the senator over his political stance linked to the ‘one-term’ movement under the Linda Mwananchi faction, before assaulting him.

He noted that Osotsi’s security team exercised restraint to avoid using firearms in a public setting.

“We strongly condemn this barbaric and cowardly act, which appears to have been premeditated and orchestrated,” the statement read.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) also condemned the incident, describing it as a brazen attack and assuring that investigations are underway to bring those responsible to justice.