The death toll from Sunday's violent clashes near St Stephen's ACK Cathedral in Kisumu has risen to two.
Authorities confirmed that one of the injured victims succumbed while receiving treatment in the hospital.
On Monday, security agencies revealed that timely intelligence helped avert a much bigger tragedy.
Speaking during a joint briefing by the County Security Committee, County Commissioner Mohammed Ramadhan Mwabudzo said nine motorcycles were torched and a vehicle damaged during the violence, which erupted near the church where a service and harambee were taking place.
Mwabudzo said security agencies had received intelligence that youths were being mobilised and quickly deployed officers to the area before the situation escalated.
"Our intelligence was timely and accurate. The youths started gathering at around 9 am, and by around 11 am, we had already deployed security officers to secure the area. That is why we were able to avert a much bigger crisis. Otherwise, the situation would have been worse," he said.
He, however, noted that security agencies had initially understood the gathering to be an ordinary church service, only to discover later that it had turned into a fundraising event where rival groups had also mobilised supporters.
The commissioner urged political leaders planning public functions in Kisumu, including church events, to notify security agencies in advance to enable adequate security arrangements.
"We are here to provide security to everyone. There is no need for leaders to hire gangs or other groups to provide security. We have enough officers to secure every public event," he said.
Mwabudzo said investigations had established that many of the youths involved were mobilised without fully understanding what they had been recruited to do.
According to him, they were allegedly assembled at Victoria Park, armed with pangas and jembe handles, before being directed to participate in the violence.
He warned that security agencies were pursuing not only those who carried out the attacks but also those who financed, organised and coordinated them.
Governor Anyang' Nyong'o, who read a statement on behalf of the County Security Committee, described the incident as organised criminal activity and announced that eight suspects arrested in connection with the violence would be arraigned in court as investigations continue.
He said detectives were also analysing digital evidence, including videos circulating on social media, to identify more suspects.
The committee maintained that organised criminal violence would not be tolerated, warning that anyone found sponsoring or facilitating such acts would face the full force of the law.
Mwabudzo said security operations across Kisumu County had already seen more than 200 suspects arrested over the past two weeks and pledged that the crackdown would continue until criminal networks are dismantled and public confidence in security restored.
