A woman being assaulted at Kibuye Market in Kisumu on November 17, 2025. /SCREENGRAB
Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga has called for a transparent and fair investigation into a violent brawl at Kibuye Market that left two women seriously injured.
The clash, which erupted over a leadership-related dispute, has sparked widespread concern after videos emerged showing the alleged ringleader, market chairperson Judith Matengo, also known as “Nyaramba,” leading the assault.
Matengo was arrested on Tuesday following an overnight intelligence-led operation by detectives who tracked her down.
Reports indicated that several other suspects linked to the incident remain at large.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Odinga condemned the violence, describing it as a “classic case of gender violence meted out to the victim by a fellow woman, with apparent complicity by male goons.”
She urged all parties, including market traders, leadership and county authorities, to exercise restraint.
“Violence must not be normalised or tolerated in any form, regardless of where it comes from and who the perpetrators are,” she said.
Odinga emphasised the broader consequences of such incidents in critical economic hubs like Kibuye Market, which supports thousands of livelihoods.
“In such a vital economic hub as Kibuye Market where thousands of women and men make their livelihoods, discord and physical confrontation set back everyone, especially the most vulnerable,” she said.
The Woman Rep warned that instability in leadership roles can ripple across the community and addressed the troubling dynamics of women leaders being implicated in violence.
She said it is particularly heartbreaking when a woman in a position of leadership is accused of orchestrating violence against fellow women.
"As leaders, women should not replicate patterns of aggression. Rather, we ought to lead by example in cultivating solidarity, respect, and non-violence,” Odinga said.
The legislator highlighted the responsibility of women in public service to champion fairness and protection of all, especially other women.
She called on security agencies and the Judiciary to handle the matter “transparently, fairly and with respect for the rights of all involved, and to ensure that witnesses are protected and able to come forward without fear of intimidation.”
Odinga pledged to personally monitor the case to ensure accountability, noting that justice must not be allowed to stall due to investigative or procedural challenges.
Reflecting on the wider implications of the violence, Odinga said the moment should prompt a sober reflection in all and sundry.
"How to ensure that women leadership in the markets are not subjected to political manipulation to undertake acts of violence for and on behalf of any political party or politician. How do we ensure that leadership is rooted in service, not division?”
Odinga concluded with a firm warning and a call for unity: “Under my watch, Kisumu will not tolerate or condone acts of violence, gender-based or any form of violence, for whatever reason and from whichever quarter it originates overtly or covertly.”
