DNK International By Our Correspondent,PortVictoria
Tension gripped Busia County on Friday afternoon after a large crowd of mourners turned violent and burnt homes of an arson suspect and those of his relatives.
The incident occured after a procession of three family members who had earlier died in an arson attack.
According to a report filed at Port Victoria Police Station,Busia the bodies of Patrick Ndege Oringo and his two sons, Joseph Bahati and David Bahati, were removed from Port Victoria Sub-County Hospital Mortuary at about 2:00pm on February 20.
The bodies were escorted by police under the command of the Sub-County Police Commander (SCPC) Bunyala amid a large and emotional crowd.
However, upon arrival at the family home in Buthiriba Village, Budalangi South Sub-Location, the situation deteriorated.
Another massive group of people, some reportedly armed with crude weapons, joined the mourners and became rowdy and violent.
Police efforts to control the crowd were overwhelmed, forcing officers to tactically withdraw on orders of the SCPC to avoid loss of life.
The mob then moved to the home of a neighbor, William Shikuku Omodo, who they alleged was involved in the earlier arson incident that claimed the lives of the three deceased.
The crowd destroyed and set ablaze his grass thatched house, a store, and two semi-permanent houses.
The attackers later advanced to the home of Musebe Omodo, the suspect’s father, and burned three semi-permanent houses.
A third homestead belonging to Alfayo Musebe, a brother to the suspect, was also attacked, with three semi permanent houses torched and a bull stolen.
Police indicated that the affected families had already fled and removed most of their belongings, leaving the homes deserted at the time of the attacks.
Property of unknown value was destroyed, but no injuries were reported during the incident.
Authorities have since called in reinforcements from neighboring areas to help monitor and manage the situation ahead of the burial, which was scheduled for today(Saturday).
By evening, police reported that calm had been restored in the area.
Investigations into the incident are ongoing, and the case remains Pending Under Investigation (P.U.I.), with the Officer Commanding Station (OCS) Port Victoria handling the matter.
DNK-International
[DNK-International@February 21,2026]
