A political empowerment event in Kuresoi North descended into chaos on Friday after supporters of Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika and Kuresoi North MP Alfred Mutai reportedly clashed, exposing fresh cracks within the ruling UDA camp in Nakuru.
Videos circulating on social media showed running battles at an empowerment Forum before sections of the crowd turned on a motorcade linked to MP Mutai, pelting it with stones as tensions escalated.
The disturbance disrupted what had been billed as a youth and women empowerment programme in Nyota Ward, attracting hundreds of residents and local leaders.
Although the circumstances that triggered the confrontation remained unclear by time of reporting, eyewitness accounts and footage shared online suggested rival groups aligned to the two leaders exchanged chants before the situation degenerated into chaos.
The incident comes barely a year after Governor Kihika and a section of Nakuru MPs, including Mutai, publicly announced a political truce aimed at ending months of infighting that had threatened to split UDA support in the county.
During the reconciliation, the leaders pledged to work together and close ranks ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Mutai had previously been among leaders who openly criticised the county administration, accusing it of sidelining parts of Nakuru in development and appointments.
Political differences between the governor and several Rift Valley leaders had at one point forced President William Ruto to intervene and broker peace.
Friday’s ugly scenes are likely to raise fresh questions about the stability of that truce as political temperatures begin to rise ahead of the 2027 elections.
Neither Governor Kihika nor MP Mutai had immediately issued a statement on the confrontation by the time of publication.
The clash is expected to reignite debate over succession politics in Nakuru, a county increasingly emerging as a battleground in the shifting political alliances taking shape ahead of the next General Election.
