Ballot bloodshed: By-elections marred by violence and property destruction

Yesterday’s by-election was supposed to be a normal exercise in democracy but despite the few number of electoral areas taking part what unfolded was anything but routine.

From the outset, the process descended into chaos characterised by campaign clashes, bloodshed, and destruction of property transforming a simple vote into one of the most violent by-elections in recent memory. Many were injured, businesses looted and communities left in shock.

And with slightly more than a year to the General Election, the barbaric events have exposed the soft underbelly of the country's electoral process laden with systemic baggage that raises serious questions about the capacity of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

Even with Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen and the National Police Service (NPS) committing to ensure a peaceful voting exercise, things still went awry.

Political parties, on the other hand, supposed to lead by example and enforce the Electoral Code of Conduct, instead abandoned all restraint permitting their camps to provoke rival strongholds and stoke tensions.

In some places, police watched helplessly as hired goons armed with crude weapons roamed freely around polling stations and harassed voters while waiting to pounce on perceived opponents. 

And perhaps the lowest of the low came when a man, accused of plotting malpractice, was publicly stripped before the glare of cameras, his images circulating widely on social media, all in the name of an election further exposing just how far some would go in the heat of political competition.

Save for Ugunja constituency, which witnessed relative peace, Kasipul, Malava, Mbeere North, three wards in Nyamira, Narok, and Turkana experienced turmoil as polls went underway.

In Kasipul, Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma was left nursing serious head injuries after he was attacked by youths at Agoro Sare Primary Polling Centre in West Kamagak Ward.

The MP had visited the polling centre to inspect how the exercise was taking place. However, at about 10 am, a group of youth began shouting at the fence to demand the exit of Kaluma from the polling station. They argued that Kaluma’s presence was unwelcome because he was not a resident of Kasipul Constituency.

Kaluma's woes deepened moments after Independent candidate Philip Aroko arrived at the polling centre. 

A group of youths began harassing Kaluma and removed his cap. The youth got hold of the MP with kicks and blows as they frog-marched him towards the gate. At one point, Kaluma fell to the ground as his attackers intensified their assault.

Addressing journalists after the attack, Kaluma said the goons also stole a firearm from his bodyguard.

“They have assaulted me, stolen a rifle from my bodyguard, and disappeared with it,” Kaluma said.

The MP said he did not anticipate violence at the polling center.

“I went to the convoy because I thought it belonged to ODM candidate Boyd Were. I greeted Aroko peacefully before I was attacked,” Kaluma said.

Kaluma defended his presence at the polling center, saying he was an observer for Were.

“This attack is aimed at intimidating voters to create voter apathy. But we will not be intimidated. What we want is a peaceful election, and if it is my blood that will bring peace, let it be so,” Kaluma said.

But Kaluma was not alone. A supporter of UPA candidate Sam Rateng Kotiende was also nursing injuries after he was attacked in West Kasipul Ward.

In Malava, the scale of violence witnessed left one wondering whether the residents were at war with each other.

Hours to the polls, individuals had been attacked in their homes. Some chiefs and their deputies claim they were attacked, beaten, and harassed. Vehicles were vandalised, destroyed, or torched.

Both sides of the political divide pointed an accusing finger at each other. Yet, given inflammatory utterances by some of the local leaders during the campaign period and on the eve of the by-elections, this was hardly surprising.

The grounds for violence had been prepared over a long period of time. The withdrawal of the security detail of Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya and Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale a few days before the election was subject to different interpretations. The duo was instrumental in the campaigns of the United Opposition’s candidate, Seth Panyako.

Stanley Livondo, a political activist from Kakamega County, claimed that the united opposition had imported goons from Nairobi and Kisumu to cause disruptions and intimidate supporters of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate David Ndakwa.

A vehicle, whose owner the police are yet to identify, was torched at Butali yesterday after opposing sides met while on inspection of polling stations to ensure all was well.

Kakamega County Police Commander Lucy Kananu confirmed that officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations are conducting investigations regarding the vehicle that was set ablaze. 

Residents, who witnessed the clashes, claim both sides were moving around in the company of armed men, who they assumed were police officers because they openly carried weapons, guns and wooden batons..

Workers in a hotel that was targeted by goons, led by Judith Wanyonyi, recounted the horror they faced.

She said they were in the kitchen when they heard their guard raising an alarm that people had come to attack.

“We just heard commotion outside, and the attack started,” she said.

Wanyonyi accused the police of laxity in their response. 

“Police have not visited this place. They have not come here to record statements, yet we were attacked. It's painful to watch people get injured and nothing is done,” she said.

This electoral violence was widespread. In Nyamira's Nyansiongo ward, a group of goons armed with machetes clashed with youths at Timdereti Primary School. Several people sustained injuries after they were shot with arrows.

Retired Masosa Secondary School principal James Ongera sustained serious injuries after he was attacked by goons at Bondeka Primary School grounds in Nyamaiya ward.

Residents claimed the goons were hired by a local leader from the region. In Nyansiongo ward, a car was torched by residents over claims it was being used to ferry goons.

Similarly, in Turkana, a wave of violence was witnessed in Riokomor, Kokiselei, and Nachukui villages in Turkana North after several UDA supporters were allegedly assaulted by an ODM politician.

The incident occurred during the Lake Zone ward by-election.

In the first incident, a female UDA supporter was reportedly struck on the face with the butt of a gun, leaving her bleeding.

The attack allegedly occurred when she attempted to stop unidentified goons, said to be allied to a local ODM leader, from abducting her husband.

In a second incident in Riokomor, the same politician is alleged to have disarmed a police reservist inside a vehicle and seized his firearm, raising further tension in the area.

A third incident unfolded in the same village when the legislator, accompanied by a group of youths, allegedly stormed a family compound, firing several shots in the air.

The gunfire forced more than 60 family members to flee for safety. The attackers are said to have later broken doors within the homestead.

At the Nachukui Polling Centre, a UDA agent was allegedly attacked and sustained injuries as voting continued.

Confirming the incidents, Turkana County Commander John Tarus said police were aware of the cases and had dispatched officers to investigate the matter.

He urged all victims and witnesses to file formal reports at the nearest police station to enable proper legal action.

“I have also instructed the politician involved to return the firearm,” Tarus stated, adding that the situation was aggravated by false information being fed to rival groups, which escalated tensions and triggered violence.

Security agencies have assured residents that investigations are ongoing and that those found culpable will be held accountable.

In Mbeere North, tensions flared in Kanyuambora after angry residents surged towards Geoffrey Ruku, accusing him of attempting to manipulate the poll.

The crowd, visibly angry, formed a human shield to block Ruku from accessing the polling station. His security detail fired in the air as tensions escalated, forcing the CS to flee.

In Narok, DCP candidate Douglas Masikonde's motorcade was stoned by goons moments after casting his vote at Masikonde primary school

Report by Harold Odhiambo, Mary Imenza, Benard Lusigi, Jackline Inyanji, Stanley Ongwae, William Omasire, Alexander Chagema, James Omoro, Lucas Ngasike, and George Sayagie