By Team
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) faces a date with destiny over the Kasipul by-election. The tag of political violence is allegedly becoming synonymous with the party.
As the campaign peaks, political violence is turning out to be one of the key campaign agendas in the constituency, which has witnessed bloodbaths in the last decade.
Kasipul has been flagged as one of the violence hotspots in the country and has left several people killed, while others are nursing deep panga scars that have radically changed their lives.
Recently, two innocent lives were lost at Kawere Village after the supporters of ODM candidate Boyd Were allegedly hacked them to death.
On Wednesday, the police raided the home of the immediate former area MP, Charles Ongondo Were, the father of Boyd, the ODM candidate.
During the raid and the arrest, five murder suspects escaped, while three DCI officers were injured at the home of Ongondo.
The three officers, including the DCI Officer in Charge of Rachuonyo South Sub-County, Daniel Muhuhi, were injured by armed goons while arresting the suspects at the homestead of the late former Kasipul MP, Ongondo Were, in Kachien Village, Central Kasipul Ward.
Homa Bay County Police Commander Lawrence Koilem said the officers were attacked at the former MP’s homestead, where the suspects had been hiding.
Koilem explained that the operation was launched after police tracked the suspects to Kosele Trading Centre. The suspects fled and sought refuge in the late Were’s homestead.
The officers pursued them to the homestead, where they managed to arrest five suspects. However, before they could leave, a crowd of over 100 youths stormed the compound.
Koilem said the rowdy youths assaulted the police officers with crude weapons in an attempt to prevent the arrests.
During the ODM nomination, vehicles and a hospital belonging to one of the aspirants, Mr Kepha Newton Ogada, were destroyed by ODM goons belonging to one of the aspirants.
The attack paralysed medical services at the facility and left property worth millions destroyed.
Ogada, who was in the facility during the attack and hid in one of the rooms in the hospital, was rescued and evacuated by security details belonging to Deputy Governor Oyugi Magwanga to safety.
Ogada recently, in a cryptic post, shared photos of Philip Aroko, one of the leading candidates, with a caption “This time it will be no longer a walk in the park.”
Last Thursday, a confrontation ensued between the supporters of the two leading aspirants, Boyd Were and Philip Aroko, while on the campaign trail in Central Kasipul.
Aroko’s team claimed that two of his supporters were killed by Were’s team while they were passing nearby where their competitor was holding a meeting.
Were denied the allegations and instead claimed that Aroko was to blame for the confrontation for trying to disrupt his function at a home in the area.
“I was having a function at a home in Kawere Village when Aroko’s team came blaring loud music and making noise with an aim to disrupt our function. In the process, confrontation broke out,” he said.
Before Ongondo’s death, Kasipul had been a war zone pitting the slain MP and his political opponents, which left several people with various injuries and scars.
Ongondo, in April before his assassination, had alleged and issued a stern warning to a number of politicians and Government and County officials whom he claimed were ferrying the “goons” to cause violence in the constituency.
The MP claimed a number of political goons believed to have been terrorising the region were ferried from other regions.
But his opponents accused him of allegedly using enforcement officers from the County Government to terrorise residents.
Former area MP Magwanga condemned the recent incident and asked the police to investigate and arrest those involved.
“We cannot allow violence to return to Kasipul. We do not want to have any bloodbath in the area. Let the police restore order and peace,” he said.
Magwanga asked the candidates to engage in peaceful campaigns and adhere to their campaign schedules to avoid ugly incidents.
The seat has attracted ten candidates, namely: Boyd Were, Philip Aroko, Robert Riaga, Sam Otiende, Collins Okeyo, Omondi Koyoo, Linda Aoko Ouma, Isaack Kiche Abok, and Jesse Okello.
