Kisumu
  24/09/07

ON THE DAY HELL BROKE OUT AS A RESULT OF NYACHAE POLITICAL BLUNDER

By Leo Odera Omolo

It was a true display of true political magnanimity of former cabinet Minister Kipkalia Kones which saved the situation and restored peace and calmness amid extremely volatile situation last Sunday.

It was a very ugly confrontation between the Kipsigis community and their neighbouring Abagusii as the news about the attack on the Eldoret North MP William Ruto, South Mugirango MP Omingo Magara and an aspirant in Nyaribari Chache Constituency Mr. Chris Bichage spread like bush fire across the country.

The attack took place on Friday afternoon at Nyamarambe Centre where the two cabinet ministers Simeon Nyachae (Roads and Works) and Onyancha Obwocha were in attendance at a Harambee funds drive for youths in the area.

Before the meeting kicked off in earnest Nyachae had paraded a group of about 60 to 70 uniformed youths who are members of the outlawed ‘’Chinkororo’’. The paraded youths were armed with crude weapons such as Maasai swords, bows and arrows and rungus. Some of the youths had machetes (pangas) hidden around their red suka which they wore on top of trousers.

Nyachae heaped a lot of praise on the youth group for having defended the community bravely against its detractors and enemies. After taking the salutes from the youths they went and sat together in one corner of the venue of the Harambee meeting. But before too long a helicopter started descending on the venue from the sky.

The chopper dropped in an open air space as its passengers disembarked from it there were shouts from unrecognizable voices among the crowd ‘’Baachire baachire (they have come!!) This sparked a big commotion and the youths were up on their feet. They charged towards the direction of the chopper.

Ruto, Magara and Bichage accompanied by their bodyguards emerged from the Helicopter, but all of a sudden they were met with the hails of stones and other missiles thrown at them by the youths who appeared to have been incited by the crowd. Some of them aimed their arrows at Ruto. Bichage was hit with a walking stick and fell on the ground.

Their bodyguards whipped out their pistols ready to shoot, and this partly scared the assailants from shooting the ODM leaders with their arrows or some of them missed their targets deliberately.But only acted to justify what they were paid for.

As some people among the crowd had identified some of the uniformed youths, and it was now them who were on the receiving end, the ODM supporters started mopping up the villages as the night fall while hunting chinkororo members like wild antelopes.

Those who were found were beaten up senselessly and the whole region was in flame. The next morning on Sunday 23rd 2007, the Kipssigis youths armed themselves with crude weapons and blocked the Kisii, Kericho Nakuru main road at fire parts.

They blocked the road at Sotik, Kipkatet, Litein and Kericho. All passenger vehicles from Kisii heading for either Nakuru or Nairobi were stopped and passengers ordered out. It took police in the region the whole day battling with charged youths.In helter scalter sporadic battle to restore peace.

Businessmen of Kisii origin hurriedly closed their shops and sought for police protection at Sotik, Kipkatet and Litein police stations. Unconfirmed reports say one Kisii man was killed in Kipkatet.

And in Kericho a group of Kipsigis morans and ODM youths regrouped together ready to revenge. The group had targeted the Sansara building a magnificent mansion standing next to the KCB branch. They wanted to set it on fire but police were alert and dispersed the crowd of the would be arsonists.

Kones suddenly appeared in the area and calmed the situation when he called a series os impromptu meetings in both Sotik and Kericho towns that the people should leave the innocent members of the Abagusii community alone and do not molest them because of one someone’s silly mistake.

The enraged youths had earlier stoned the MP for Sotik Hon Antony Kimeto who with Nick Salat (Bomet) are with the retired President Moi in the campaign for Kibaki Tena.

Fortunately, ODM Pentagon members consisting of Raila Odinga, Musalia Mudavadi, Joseph Nyagah and Najib Balala arrived in Kisumu in time and immediately sent an appeal out to the ODM supporters and youths to leave members of the Abagusii alone to live in peace.

Most of the matatu passenger vehicles playing on the Kisumu – Kisii – Migori road belonged to Kisii businessmen and the ODM youths had set plan to vandalize them.

Nyachae himself owns a lot of property in Kisumu and the presence of Raila Odinga and his colleagues in the region saved Nyachae’s property from goiing up in flames.

Ends.
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com