Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi was on Wednesday attacked by an armed gang at a Kisumu café in a brazen daytime incident, which his office has linked to his fierce political stance in the country’s simmering political discourse.

Senator Osotsi, a member of breakaway Linda Mwananchi faction of the once dominant Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party, has been a thorn-in-the-flesh of the faction led by Senator Oburu Odinga.

It is on record that ODM chair Gladys Wanga had sworn to teach Osotsi – and party Secretary General Edwin Sifuna and Embakassi East MP Babu Owino – a lesson. Wanga went ahead to write to Senator Sifuna a “show cause why” letter I what is an obvious build up to stripping him of his post or expelling him from the party altogether.

The attack on Osotsi has been perceived as a revenge against rebel Luhyia MPs and officials in ODM, who were ripped of their positions during a rival Special Party Convention in Nairobi last month. The Oburu-Wanga faction has vowed that they cannot be led by a Luhyia, hence the spirited to rid the party Senator Sifuna.

At the weekend, MP Lilian Gogo warned that Luos would not play second fiddle to Luhyias and told Embakasi MP Babu Owino to dump Sifuna faction for Dr Oburu Oginga’s faction that is chaired by Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga.

An eyewitness, James Okoth, said the legislator was ambushed at Java House Kisumu as he caught up with a friend, moments after interacting freely with members of the public.

The attackers reportedly descended on him without warning, threw him to the ground and rained kicks and blows while demanding to know why he was opposed to supporting President William Ruto’s two-term push.

Okoth said the chaos was only contained after police officers manning a bank within the building intervened and dispersed the attackers.  The senator was then whisked away from the scene and rushed to Aga Khan Hospital Kisumu for treatment. His condition was not immediately disclosed.

In a statement, Vihiga Senator Communications Director Derick Luvega said the senator had earlier made a routine visit to the building for personal grooming before proceeding to the café, where he spent about 30 minutes engaging members of the public.

“It was during this time that a group of gun-wielding individuals confronted him, questioned his political stance and subsequently subjected him to physical manhandling,” said Luvega.

The senator’s security detail, which was present, he said, exercised restraint and did not discharge firearms to avoid endangering other patrons in the busy establishment.

Luvega condemned the incident as barbaric, cowardly and clearly premeditated but cautioned against linking it to residents of Kisumu, noting the lawmaker had moved freely and interacted warmly with locals prior to the attack.

He urged investigators to move swiftly, with the office calling on the National Police Service to utilise CCTV footage from the restaurant to identify and apprehend those responsible.

“The rule of law must prevail and those behind this heinous act must be brought to book,” Luvega said.

The dramatic attack comes amid shifting political alignments, with Osotsi recently braking ranks with a faction of the Orange Democratic Movement associated with Oburu Odinga. He has also been linked to the emerging Linda Mwananchi camp, a grouping carving out a reform-focused agenda as political temperatures begin to rise.

His perceived opposition to the two-term push has stirred tensions within political circles, exposing deepening fault lines that are increasingly spilling into the public arena.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Chris Mahandara