An assistant chief in Homa Bay County has been suspended after he was accused of being part of last week’s deadly confrontation between rival political groups in the Kasipul parliamentary by-election.
The administrator was sent home after authorities discovered he had hosted two competing camps at his homestead. A meeting that quickly turned into chaos. Supporters of ODM candidate Boyd Were and independent hopeful Philip Aroko clashed violently, leaving two people dead and several others nursing serious injuries.
Homa Bay County Police Commander Lawrence Koime confirmed that detectives are now investigating the assistant chief’s alleged involvement and whether he could have played a direct role in the violence that unfolded on his property.
“An administrative action has been taken against the assistant chief because the two young men were killed in his homestead,” Koime said. “We are investigating him to find out if he participated in the murder of the two men.”
What exactly transpired in the meeting remains murky. Some accounts suggest the assistant chief had stepped in to mediate days of mounting tension between the rival groups, hoping to cool down the political temperatures. But other residents claim he may have been quietly aligned with one of the candidates and used the meeting as a cover to target supporters of the opponent.
Both sides insist the gathering was connected to their respective candidates. Boyd Were, son of the late Kasipul MP Charles Were, has accused his rival Aroko of orchestrating the attack. Aroko, in turn, claims Boyd’s security team was behind the violence that erupted in Central Kasipul, alleging that one man was killed and several others severely injured by Boyd’s supporters.
The tension in Kasipul took an even darker turn on Thursday, November 13, when several officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) were injured during a confrontation with armed men. Police say the officers were pursuing suspects believed to be behind the November 6 killings of two youths in Opondo.
The officers, among them Rachuonyo South Sub-County DCI commander Daniel Muhuhi, were reportedly ambushed at the home of the late Kasipul MP Ong’ondo Were in Kachien Village. According to reports, the suspects fled toward Kosele Trading Centre after being trailed by detectives, then sought refuge at the homestead before turning on the officers.
With the November 27 by-election fast approaching, the Kasipul constituency has been gripped by fear, accusations, and persistent violence. Efforts by ODM leaders and security agencies to restore calm appear to be falling short as political hostilities continue to escalate.
