Sifuna pledges to replace taxi torched in Homa Bay violence, after Standard story

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Steven Otieno, a taxi driver whose vehicle was torched during last month's violent Linda Mwananchi rally in Homa Bay, can now breathe a sigh of relief after Nairobi Senator and Linda Mwananchi leader Edwin Sifuna pledged to replace the taxi vehicle, offering a fresh lifeline to the injured driver who has been struggling to rebuild his livelihood.

Sifuna pledged on Saturday after reading the story of the predicament of the man in the Saturday Standard’s  story of the driver who has been nursing injuries sustained during the incident.

“I have read this story in today’s Standard. We will replace your vehicle, Steven. The Linda Mwananchi team will be in touch,” Sifuna said in a social media post.

Steven was driving the Subaru Legacy hired to transport Abbie Zuena, also known as Abigail Gikonyo, to the Linda Mwananchi rally in Homa Bay.

Zuena is a mobiliser associated with the Linda Mwananchi political movement and was among those travelling to Homa Bay for the August 16 rally. She had contacted Steven to pick her up from the airport and drive her to the event.

During the rally, they encountered groups of youths and sought refuge at a church. He was attacked and  suffered deep cuts to his face, back, arm, hands and feet, including a fractured arm. The vehicle he was driving was later set on fire outside the church.

Steven was taken to hospital and later transferred to Nightingale Hospital in Kisumu, where he continued treatment. More than a month later, he remains unable to resume his work as he recovers from the injuries.

The loss of the vehicle compounded his situation because the Subaru was the means through which he earned his daily income and supported himself and his parents.

His mother, Irene Adhiambo, had appealed for help, saying the family could not afford to replace the vehicle after it was reduced to ashes.

Steven’s case is part of the wider destruction of vehicles witnessed during the Homa Bay violence. A post-rally assessment reported that at least six vehicles were torched after drivers were unable to escape groups of armed youths.

The violence also left dozens of people injured and four people dead.

For Steven, however, the aftermath has remained particularly difficult. While continuing to recover from his injuries, he has been unable to return to the road and earn an income. The destruction of the vehicle effectively took away his means of work at the same time he was recovering from the physical injuries.

Sifuna’s pledge now offers hope that he could regain the means to earn a living.

The senator said the Linda Mwananchi team would contact Steven to work out the next steps in replacing the vehicle.

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For the Nyalenda driver and his family, the pledge could mark a significant turn in a difficult period that began with the Homa Bay attack and left him facing both a long recovery and the loss of his livelihood.