Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has pledged to replace the vehicle belonging to taxi driver Steven Otieno, who was injured during violence that followed the Linda Mwananchi rally in Homa Bay in August.

🇰🇪 Breaking It Down

Sifuna made the commitment in a post on Saturday, September 19, after reading an account of Otieno’s ordeal and the dispute over who should replace the vehicle torched during the attack.

“I have read this story in today’s Standard . We will replace your vehicle Steven. The Linda Mwananchi team will be in touch,” the senator wrote.

According to the report, Otieno said he had been hired to transport Abbie Zuena, a mobiliser associated with the Linda Mwananchi political movement, during the rally when he and other passengers encountered armed groups of youths leaving the area on August 16.

📌 What You Need to Know

The driver said the group was attacked after being stopped and ordered to surrender their belongings, leaving him with deep cuts to his face, back, arm, hands and feet and a fractured arm.

Additionally, the vehicle he was driving was later set ablaze near a church where he had sought refuge, cutting off the main source of income he used to support himself and assist his family.

According to Otieno, he eventually lost consciousness and was taken to hospital after people who witnessed the attack alerted his mother.

He was initially treated for his injuries before being transferred to Nightingale Hospital in Kisumu, where he was discharged after about three days, but he said he remains under medical care because his arm and other wounds have not fully healed.

Otieno said the car belonged to his sister, a young widow, who had entrusted it to him for taxi work, and he has since appealed to leaders linked to Linda Mwananchi, including Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino to help him recover his livelihood.

The dispute has centred on who was responsible for helping replace the vehicle, with Otieno saying he was led to expect financial assistance while Zuena denies promising to buy him another car.

📰 Source: Kenyans.co.ke