Raila died as a Coast man who caned him sought a 'handshake'
Coast
By
Patrick Beja
| Oct 17, 2025
Raila Odinga died on Wednesday morning before a handshake with a remorseful man whose heart has been restless since he caned the former prime minister without provocation at a public gathering.
Lengo Karisa Mdzomba attacked the unsuspecting Raila and the then Kwale governor Salim Mvurya at Kinango market in Kwale county during an Okoa Kenya rally championing for constitutional amendment.
The two leaders were dancing to local tunes when Mdzomba emerged from the crowd and started caning Raila and Mvurya with a walking stick. He beat the two men on the backs.
He was wrestled down by orderlies and contained amid tension in the meeting that had otherwise started peacefully.
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The attack that made headlines, occurred on September 29, 2014, and drew anger from Raila supporters, forcing Mdzomba to go into hiding for six years after his release from police custody.
In his last media interview, the slim man said he just picked his walking stick after having tea at Mama Leila’s place in Kinango town and attacked the two leaders at the meeting, denying having been paid by anyone to do so.
“I walked from Mama Leila’s place to attend the meeting after having tea. I do not know what led me to attack Raila and I regret my action,” he said. He had arrived a month earlier from Tanzania where he had spent 33 years.
Although Raila and Mvurya pardoned and withdrew a criminal case against him, Mdzomba who had claimed to have been led by the devil in his action, has unsuccessfully sought a face-to-face meeting with Raila to pass his apology to him.
He persistently said he did not know what led him to attack the opposition chief and the governor.
Two weeks ago, Mdzomba,52, walked into the Muslims for Human Rights (Muhuri) offices at Nyali in Mombasa county and asked if he could meet Raila for a ‘handshake’ so as to get a peace of mind.
He spoke before going into hiding following a family dispute over land, according to Muhuri’s rapid response officer Mr Francis Auma yesterday. Auma has remained close to Mdzomba since the incident.
Auma facilitated the withdrawal of the case by Raila and his release from police custody in Kwale after facing assault charges.
“He came to Muhuri two weeks ago and told me he wanted to meet Raila to have a handshake and personally tender his apology. He has gone into hiding over a family dispute over land,” Auma explained.
Yesterday, Auma confirmed that he coordinated with Raila’s spokesman Mr Dennis Onyango to withdraw the court case against Mdzomba who was then pleading for mercy.
Mdzomba had been charged with causing disturbance and assault although Raila had not filed a P3 form.
The case was withdrawn after Mr Onyango then indicated that they would not file the P3 form as required by the prosecution and that Raila and Mvurya would not pursue the case against the man.
According to Auma, Mdzomba would be happy if he personally met Raila and expressed his regret over the unprovoked attack.
Sheikh Ngao, a Coast Raila ally, said the ODM party leader did not harbour revenges against the people who wronged him.
“Raila was an extraordinary leader. He was quick to forgive and move on. He did not harbour grudges against the people who wronged him,” Ngao said.
He said this was the glue that held ODM together as he was accommodative and willing to reconcile and work with people who had previously opposed him.