Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has condemned the violence reported during Thursday’s by-elections, describing the day as one of the worst in recent years.
In a statement, he accused the security command of failing to protect voters and candidates, saying the chaos witnessed in Kabuchai, Malava and Kasipul pointed to serious lapses.
As such, Sifuna stated that Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen should take responsibility for the violence witnessed.
"Today has to be one of the bloodiest election days in recent history. All the violence being witnessed across the country, from Kabuchai to Malava to Kasipul, points either to incompetence within the security command or to their outright involvement in planning and executing it.
"Murkomen and his team must take responsibility for failing to secure the safety of all involved," he said.
Read More
In Kasipul, tension erupted at the Agoro Sare polling centre in Kasipul on Thursday, November 27, after Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma was attacked while accompanying ODM candidate Boyd Were.
According to media reports, chaos broke out when a group of goons confronted the MP shortly after his arrival.
In the melee, Kaluma’s bodyguard reportedly lost his firearm, adding to the gravity of the incident.
The lawmaker was bleeding from the head, with blood stains visible on his neck and chest as he was escorted away from the scene.
Kaluma directly blamed Independent Candidate Philip Aroko for the violence, accusing his supporters of attempting to intimidate voters and disrupt the polling process.
Speaking after the attack, the lawmaker said the attackers were attempting to provoke a fight, and he insisted that their aim was to prevent residents from casting their ballots.
"They are small people we would have fought them back, but don’t fight them because that is what they want. They don’t want people to come to vote," he said.
In Malava, Seth Panyako was allegedly attacked by goons on Wednesday night.
Addressing the media on Thursday, Panyako claimed that goons stormed his Down Hill hotel, where he was with his family.
The DAP-K candidate described the alleged attack as an attempted assassination on his life.
"The government machinery, together with criminals, attacked my hotel, which was also intended to be used as a personal tallying center, and the aim of the attack was to assassinate me with my wife. This is because, according to a poll that was done yesterday, I was doing 75 percent while the other candidate was doing 24 percent," he claimed.
DAP-K party leader Eugene Wamalwa has also commended the alleged attack on Panyako.
In a statement, Wamalwa accused the National Police Service (NPS) and Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officials of facilitating the attack against Panyako.
"This nefarious scheme we warned Kenyans about yesterday, with my united opposition Co-principals Kalonzo Musyoka and Rigathi Gachagua of ballot stuffing, state-sponsored violence, and goonism is being executed by the Ruto Regime with Military precision and in collaboration with NPS and IEBC," he alleged.
