Man Roughed up By Mob for Hurling Teargas at Women Meeting in Rangwe

A man who hurled a teargas cannister at a symposium of women in Rangwe narrowly escaped lynching.

The man was arrested by a mob of people who were attending the meeting at a hotel in Kochia Ward, Rangwe sub-County on Saturday.

National government officials convened the meeting to train more than 500 women from Homa Bay County on financial management and entrepreneurship.

Cabinet Secretary for ICT and Digital Economy Eliud Owalo was to preside over the training session. The training started ahead of Owalo’s arrival.

Siaya UDA patron Oyugi Dor expressed confidence that the exercise would empower women following the knowledge and skills they received afterwards.

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“The training involves how the women can access loans , open and operate businesses. We have done it in Siaya, Kisumu and Migori,” Dor said.

As the training was still going on, someone suddenly threw teargas in one of the tents where the women who were undergoing training were.

Women scampered for safety after a teargas canister was thrown into a tent where a training session was going on in Rangwe constituency.

As they were scampering for safety, stones were also being hurled towards the dias.

The meeting had to stop for more than 15 minutes as everyone wondered what was going on.

A few minutes later, a mob arrived with a man they suspect to have been among the people who were behind the incident.

The man, a boda boda rider, claimed they wanted to disrupt the meeting.

“We were in a group of boda boda men who came to stop the meeting,” he said.

Police officers who were around rescued the man from the mob who wanted to lynch him.

The suspect was asked to mention his accomplices.

Police also seized some five motorcycles believed to have been used to ferry the suspects.

Lake Victoria South Water Works Development Authority (LVSWWDA) chairman Odoyo Owidi condemned the incident describing it as unfortunate.

He claimed those who wanted to disrupt the meeting are against development meant to improve the economic standards of women.

“We are not doing politics here but empowering women economically to the women. Anti development people will not be given room anymore,” Owidi said.