One thought on “ONE YEAR SINCE WANGARI DIED OF CANCER”

1. Olum Onyango September 27, 2012 at 11:00 am

   DCIO Intimidating ODM supporters.

   If the just concluded by-elections are an indication of political might, then majority of the aspirants from the newly created Kasipul constituency have already signed their political obituary. Despite the free and fair by-elections which were characterized by peace, some aspirants are now weighing the options of vying as an independent candidate other than the preferred ODM ticket. This follows a massive defeat of TNA candidate they had vowed to support and teach an aspirant who is a major threat due to his growing support in the grassroots.

   A prominent businessman and ODM Homa-Bay County delegate commonly known as Sir Charles Ong’ondo Were has dominated the talk of the constiuency following the ODM victory in Wire/Migwa ward to which ODM candidate Jevis Ochieng Abuor garnered 806 votes against his bitter rival Akuku Dache who got 246 votes. Some of the aspirants who had secretly campaigned and funded Akuku Dache during the ODM nominations urged him to ditch the party and seek for votes on a TNA ticket. These angered Sir Charles Were who resorted to singly and openly campaigning for Jevis Abuor. Through his mechanisms and the ODM party sub-branch officials, Sir Charles Were invited various politicians to drum up support for ODM candidate. Among the invited politicians were Hon. Prof. Anyang Nyong’o, Hon. James Orengo, Hon. Min. Otieno Kajwanga, Hon. Martin Ogindo, Hon. Eng. Rege, Hon. Mbadi, Hon. Oyugi Magwanga, and Hon. Eng. Philip Okundi. Also invited were Prof. Muga (Parliamenary aspirant), Mr. Silvanus Osele (Parliamentary aspirant), Mr. Achilla Gogo (Governor aspirant), and Mr. Tom Dola (Parliamentary aspirant). The Prime Minister itinerary had to be changed on the last day of the campaigns after a heavy down pour which could not have enabled smooth landing at Nyatwere Primary School for a rally, and he had to deliver his message through Mr. Dola and Hon. Eng. Philip Okundi mobile phones to the voters of Wire/Migwa ward.

   Earlier before the voting day, some of the strong lieutenants of aspirants namely Eng. Okoko, Sam Otiende and area MP Oyugi Magwanga had welcome TNA Presidential aspirant DPM Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta to Oyugis town and Mr. Were’s backyard at Kawere centre in Kachien. They colourfully and joyously sang victory song along the Kisumu Kisii highway at Oyugis bus stop. These was evident by key aides associated to MP Oyugi Magwanga namely Jairo and Lameck (CDF Secretary) carrying posters with Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta portrait. The action angered ODM party sub-branch officials who issued a verbal warning to suspend all party officials who took part in the procession and issue a stun warning to all aspirants whose aides were directly involved in TNA entourage welcome to Kasipul. The aspirants aides led by Jairo, Oyieko, Lameck, and Arthur (nominated councilor) hurriedly arranged for a public rally at Kawere centre which is at the backyard of Mr. Were. This was to humiliate and cause political embarrassment to Mr. Were.

   Sensing that the ODM party officials are out to take disciplinary actions, the aspirant’s aide comprising of Samwel Owida for Eng. Okoko and Oyieko & Lameck for area MP Oyugi Magwanga held several consultative communication to ensure TNA candidate carried the day. It was however not clear how the Kasipul Kabondo CDF vehicle Toyota Landcruiser crisscrossed the ward and holding impromptu door to door meetings emphasizing on the Kachien people to vote their own person Mr. Akuku Dache who is better placed to occupy the councillor’s seat left vacant after the death of their own son from Kachien the late Mayor Ogweno. Same sentiments were uttered by Eng. Okoko during his meeting with Kachien clan members at Karabok area two weeks ago.

   Further investigation revealed that the area MP who is believed to be on bed rest has been communicating to the area acting District Commissioner – Mr. Makhanu, DCIO – Mr. Bakari, OCPD – Mr. Macharia, and OCS – Mr. Karanja on pertinent issues concerning the by-elections and TNA victory. The MP Magwanga is said to have been angered by the visit of prominent politicians courtersy of Mr. Were without his blessings. The MP declined to join the PM Rt Hon. Raila entourage to Ndhiwa for Hon. Augustino Neto series of rallies having got a clue that the PM Raila is posed to address an impromptu rally in Wire/Migwa ward. MP Magwanga chose to keep off by having a bed rest in a city hospital in Nairobi but facilitated TNA victory.

   On the fateful voting day, Mr. Were together with the ODM party officials got a tip off from the members of the public who visited him at his rural home to inform him of the election malpractice being undertaken by TNA supporters at Kawere centre which is the immediate centre next to Karabok polling station. Having visited the Karabok polling centre, the peaceful voting exercise and conducive environment assured Mr. Were and ODM officials that all was well. As the team made their way to Kawere Centre, the members of the public stopped Mr. Were and pinpointed two gentlemen (one identified as Otieno Ngere, who is a student at Kenyatta University) who were enticing voters and intimidating voters perceived to be strong ODM voters. Miraculously the OCPD Naomi arrived from Karabok direction and parked her police land cruiser even before Mr. Were came out of his vehicle. The two gentlemen who passively stood at the verandah of a kiosk sensed danger and fled away as the OCPD Mrs. Naomi confronted them. Attempts by the members of the public to go after the two suspects were thwarted by OCPD who kept off the public by saying it was not their duty to identify and apprehend suspects. Her action angered the public who wanted to go after the two gentlemen. Our revelations indicate Otieno Ngere was heard sharing his pack of Ksh. 12,000 received from Eng. Mboga who is also an aspirant. It is claimed this money was given by Eng. Mboga to pay for the votes bought. The OCPD then left to Oyugis hurriedly having not recorded any single statement from members of the public who provided the tip off.

   The OCPD action raised a lot of suspicion but this did not deter the ODM officials from heading to Nyatwere Primary School polling station. The same peaceful and suitable environment engulfed the polling station. While still within the voting compound, the civic ward aspirant Mr. Akuku Dache walked in while conversing on his mobile phone. He didn’t take long inside the polling centre classroom before he came out complaining in loud voice over the presence of ODM officials at the polling centre. Our request to have a short interview with him took a few minutes since we was still on phone uttering imaginable words. Our reporters could hear him say ‘mak uru Ayieko kendo ulonye duk’ meaning get hold of Ayieko and strip him naked. He was also heard saying, ‘nyisgi gi bi gi lori kae sani sani Mr. Were omaki gi kalatese mag kura’ meaning tell them to come with a lorry immediately.

   The ODM officials then left the compound having got information from one of the police officer manning the station that the aspirant has a ‘panga’ in his jacket and that they have communicated for action to be taken against him. It did not take long before the DC called Mr. Were to inform him to wait for him at Nyatwere polling station to which he obliged. Surprisingly, the DC came in a landrover followed by a white Rav4 vehicle belonging to TNA campaigners.

   While our reporters were heading to Nyalenda, information reached us that there is a vehicle which has overturned at Kawere Market belonging to Mr. Were. A few metres from Karabok junction as our reporters head to Kawere centre while on a motorcycle, a fleet of police vehicle on high speed caressly overtook them and they were densely immersed on heavy dust. After the dust had settle they followed the police fleet while going against villagers running along the road seeking for refuge in the thickest along the roadside. On approaching Mr. Were’s gate, they saw the police vehicles entering his compound while some officers had already alighted and manning the main gate dressed in protective gears. Our reporters had to plead and convince the police officers to allow them into the compound.

   On arriving in Mr. Were’s compound, we found already some of his allies and ODM officials being roughed up and mercilessly forced into the police track and Mr. Were bitterly demanding to know why him and his visitors are being arrested and where is the warrant of arrest. The police officers numbering to hundred and in ten vehicles could not hear anything short of that. They ransacked the entire house including the vehicles at the packing yard. At one point, our reporters heard one officer saying, ‘hakuna makaratasi hapa ndani’ meaning there are no papers here. It was a struggle that lasted for nearly thirty minutes and eventually Mr. Were and his allies were whisked to Oyugis Police Station shortly before noon. Our revelation at his homestead shown clearly that there was a meeting going on at the veranda since we witnessed scattered plastic chairs, flask and cups.

   Our reporters further proceeded to Kawere centre to interview eye witnesses and get the facts on ground leading to the vehicle purported to be Mr. Were’s. On investigations and further interrogation, we found that the vehicle did not belong to Mr. Were but belonged to a police officer in Busia. He vehicle had no insurance cover and the driver of the GL touring vehicle was neither having a driving license nor national identity card. We believe the driver of the vehicle was not competent enough to handle the vehicle having overloaded the vehicle with youths who could not be identied by the locals of Kawere. Residents point out that the youths in that vehicle have been spotted in many occasions together with the TNA candidate Mr. Akuku Dache and were most of the time wearing marvin (Rasta caps)for the last one week.

   Our efforts to have an audience with the police were not possible until when we appeared in court to hear of the charges against Mr. Were and his allies who were charged for incitement and destruction to the vehicle. Mr. Were and his allies pleaded not guilty and were denied cash bail or bond on that fatefull day with the prosecutor stating to the magistrate that he was under instruction from the DCIO Mr. Bakari not to grant bail or band to the accused. Matters became unusual when our reporters questioned the DCIO on what grounds the accussed have been arrested and why they have been denied cash bail or bond. The DCIO Mr. Bakari narrated he is acting on orders from above. That said evening Mr. Oyieko who is the personal assistant to area MP Oyugi Magwanga had private audience with the DCIO Mr. Bakari at his office. Our sources indicate that DCIO Mr. Bakari was heard conversing in low tone on phone saying the accussed must be in remand for a week and he has obliged to the instructions but if matters get worse he will request the court to grant cash bail of Ksh. 200,000 and personal bond of Ksh. 300,000 per each accused. Our reporters proved these sentiments to be correct when they spotted DCIO Mr. Bakari together with Mr. Akuku Dachi and the TNA coordinator at a round table in the Oyugis Police canteen on Monday night a meeting that ended at 1am.

   On his release on cash bail and personal bond for the seven allies the following day, Mr. Were vowed not to be destructed on his political endeavor and called on police to speed up investigations. However the investigation might be hampered due to discord amongst the junior police officers (from both the Administration police and regular police) on information that Ksh. 1,000,000.00 might have exchanged hands during DPM Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta visit to the constituency. Some of the police officers were questioning two incidences where the senior officers and DC could not even buy them lunch after following their orders to harass innocent leaders. The first incidence is when DPM Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta came and during the by-elections to which IEBC officials declined to add more allowances for the police following a request made by the DC. The IEBC officials stated they did not budget for officers who were out of the polling station to arrest Mr. Were and his team.

   Our sources also reveal that the junior and senior police officers assigned to apprehend Mr. Were were from one particular community. Other officers from other communities were on several occasions conversing on low tone over the wrong signal sent to the provincial police headquarters and vigilant house purporting the arrest were made at the market and the vehicle overturned while the same officers raided Mr. Were’s home.

   A close confident of the area MP Magwanga disclosed that the political strategic committee are under pressure from the ailing MP over the delivery of Ksh. 300,000 given to senior police officer to ensure that Mr. Were is humiliated and locked for a week but just to learn he was released the following day. The bitter MP Magwanga is now demanding from his aide (unnamed) to refund back the money. He was spotted in Oyugis town on the market day looking so disappointed and never commented on the issue. Our sources reveal that the area MP Magwanga has vowed to continue with arrest on Mr. Were’s supporters. Earlier this week, the ODM sub-branch secretary general Aggrey Otore was arrested and arraigned in court facing incitement charges. The DCIO has instructed his team to arrest ODM sub-branch chairman Zachary Muga, Women leader Mary Gaya and Rose Aguko.

   Residence of Kasipul have been thronging Mr. Were residence as a sign of solidarity. This was also demonstrated upon his releases to which business and traffic flow came to stand still in Oyugis town on Tuesday. Our observers reveal that majority of the voters have expressed their joy with ODM win at Wire/Migwa by-election and credit the victory to Mr. Were who sailed through all political intimidation and turmoil to campaign vigorously and ensure ODM party carries the day despite other aspirants joining hands to campaign for TNA candidate. Voters are now ready for the fresh registration bound to take place next month October and have vowed to teach aspirants including the area MP Magwanga who were TNA sympathizers a lesson.