Homa Bay night runners in trouble as villagers demand they be ‘exiled’
Jack Songo, the self-confessed president of night runners during an interview in 2013. He has now denied being a night runner after residents of Ndhiwa in Homa Bay demanded that he and his group be exiled. FILE PHOTO | MAURICE KALUOCH | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Residents of his village in Ndhiwa, Homa Bay County have demand that he and members of his team be exiled.
- Chief Ouma said the image of the residents of Kobita, Koguta, Kamenya and Kaguria has been dented by the activities of the self-confessed night runners.
- When he was given an opportunity to defend himself, Mr Songo denied being a night runner.
- He, instead, blamed the media claiming he was reported out of context.
Self-styled president of Kenya Night Runners Association Jack Songo now says he is only a comedian.
This comes even as residents of his village in Ndhiwa, Homa Bay County demand that he and members of his team be exiled.
After a meeting held in the village, the residents requested that Mr Songo be evicted from their midst and sent back to his original home in Sakwa Awendo in Migori County.
In the meeting chaired by Senior Chief Bob Ouma of South Kabuoch and veteran South Nyanza politician Mzee Akech Chieng, the elders also demanded an apology from the night runners.
“You have not only tarnished the image of the people of South Kabuoch, Ndhiwa, Homa Bay County but the entire Luo community,” said Mzee Chieng.
Chief Ouma said the image of the residents of Kobita, Koguta, Kamenya and Kaguria has been dented by the activities of the self-confessed night runners.
“Our girls are now shunned by men from other areas who feel that they are also night runners,” said Mr Ouma.
He added that various development partners among them NGOs that have been operating in the area are threatening to withdraw and relocate to other areas.
PUPILS HUMILIATED
A teacher who also attended the meeting on Wednesday recalled how pupils from Pala Division were humiliated by colleagues during a recent athletics competition.
“Our pupils could not perform well because they were branded by colleagues as night runners,” he added.
When he was given an opportunity to defend himself, Mr Songo denied being a night runner.
“I am just an actor or comedian. What I said was purely to make money,” he said.
Instead, he once again turned the heat on the media whom he claimed had reported him out of context.
He claimed that at no time did he invite journalists to interview him.
“Those journalists are the ones who kept on hunting for me claiming that they wanted to shoot a film that would make me an instant millionaire,” he added.
Security was tight during the meeting as armed Administration Police officers kept vigil from a distance.
At some point, the meeting almost turned ugly with residents baying for the blood of Songo and his members.
They were however saved by the chief and Mzee Chieng who calmed them down.
