Tension remained high in Ikolomani Sub-County on Friday after police announced the arrest of 63 people, among them two Members of the County Assembly (MCAs), in connection with the violent protests that left four people dead earlier in the week.
Western Region Police Commander Issa Mohamoud told journalists in Kakamega that the suspects are believed to have played key roles in planning and funding the unrest targeting Shanta Gold Company investors.
The protests, which erupted over the company’s alleged plan to acquire local land for its gold mining project, quickly degenerated into deadly clashes between residents and law enforcement.
The two politicians and the other suspects were rounded up early Friday and taken to Kakamega Police Station, where they remained in custody awaiting arraignment. According to Mahamoud, investigators believe the MCAs helped bankroll the groups that attacked police officers, journalists and members of the public during the skirmishes.
“We have today arrested 53 people, and yesterday we arrested ten that is a total of 63 people. Among them is a suspect believed to have attacked a female police officer,” Mahamoud said during the briefing.
“We have also arrested two MCAs. They are the ones who were funding the goons, but we are yet to know on whose behalf they were distributing the money.”
The police boss described a chaotic scene on Thursday, with officers retreating under a hail of stones as crowds pushed back against attempts to disperse them. At least 21 officers were left nursing serious injuries, and several journalists were hurt, with some reporting that their cameras and other equipment were stolen in the melee.
A special team of detectives from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters in Nairobi has been dispatched to Kakamega to support the probe. Mahamoud said the priority is identifying the “prime architects” of the violence, including possible external financiers.
Several of the injured officers are receiving treatment at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Referral Hospital.
The clashes stem from growing tension in Isulu village, where residents have been resisting what they fear could be a mass displacement. Shanta Gold Company is said to have proposed relocating more than 800 households following the discovery of gold deposits valued at approximately Ksh683 billion.
For many villagers, the mine represents not opportunity but the possible loss of ancestral land a fear that has fueled anger, suspicion and, ultimately, bloodshed. As investigations deepen and local leaders face mounting scrutiny, residents say they are still waiting for an honest conversation about their future.
Authorities have urged calm as the probe continues, but in Ikolomani, the wounds from Thursday’s violence remain raw, and uncertainty hangs heavily over the community.
