Nairobi Senator and embattled Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary General Edwin Sifuna has blamed the country’s rising insecurity on Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and President William Ruto, absolving the police of the responsibility. 

Speaking during a Linda Mwananchi rally in Vihiga on Saturday, April 25, 2026, Sifuna said the frontline police officers were not to blame for the surge in crime and violence, arguing that the problem lies with decisions made at the highest levels of government.

He criticised what he described as the misuse of police resources, claiming that officers lack adequate tools to respond to crime, even as state security is deployed for political or personal interests.

“Hali ya usalama imekuwa mbaya sana, lakini kitu cha kushangaza ni kwamba hao polisi wetu ni marafiki wetu. Makosa haiko kwa hawa polisi, iko katika wale wakuu kwa serikali wakiongozwa na Murkomen na Kasongo wake,” Sifuna stated. 

“Wewe fikiria, hapa wakati majambazi wanapora watu, maafisa hawana magari ya kutumia waweze kukomboa mwananchi lakini pale Nairobi Kasongo ameweka gari tano za polisi kwa mlango ya mheshimiwa Tuju, kujaribu kumnyang’anya mali yake. Hiyo si ni aibu kubwa?” 

Sifuna, a key figure in the Linda Mwananchi faction, also dismissed any attempts to intimidate the opposition, maintaining that they would continue to speak out against the government.

“Tumesema hatutaogopa, hatutauziwa uoga,” he declared.

Linda Mwananchi’s Vihiga tour paves the way for the much-touted Kisumu rally on Sunday, which has attracted much criticism from the Linda Ground faction.

“I want to plead with our Kisumu people that, despite our political differences, let us remain peaceful. And I want to welcome our guests, but I want to tell them that they must come to Kisumu with an agenda for the people of Kisumu,” Alego Usonga, Member of Parliament, Samuel Atandi stated. 

“If you come here to abuse our leaders, to declare some mediocre, even to declare yourself the party leader of ODM, that is illegal, and we are not going to allow you.”

Matiang’i on goonism

This comes as Jubilee Deputy Party leader Fred Matiang’i continues to raise alarm on rising incidents of violence and politically linked goonism, vowing to restore law and order if elected Head of State.

Speaking in Nyamira on Friday, April 24, 2026, during a meeting with the outfits’ aspirants drawn from Nyamira and Kisii counties, Matiang’i said basic services are faltering, and insecurity is creeping into everyday life.

“Hatuwezi kufika mahali eti watoto hawaendi shule, sijui matibabu hakuna, hakuna chakula kwa hospitali, watu wanapigwa kila siku,” he said, decrying what he described as a breakdown of essential systems and public safety.

The former Interior Cabinet Secretary took direct aim at political actors accused of sponsoring violence, warning that the era of impunity must come to an end.

“One pledge I can make to Kenya as a presidential candidate, if I were given an opportunity to be president of this country, is that there will be no goon nonsense in this country. Lazima serikali iwe serikali, na wakora ni wakora,” Matiang’i declared.