Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma was on Thursday injured after he was attacked by a group of youths at Agoro Sare Primary School during the Kasipul Constituency by-election. His bodyguard was also assaulted and is reported to have lost his firearm in the chaos.
Kaluma, who is serving as the ODM Party’s chief agent in the by-election, arrived at the polling station in the morning to monitor the voting process.
Moments later, a rowdy group confronted him, sparking a violent confrontation that left him with a head injury. Images from the scene showed the MP being escorted away with blood on his face and shirt as his team sought medical attention for him.
Speaking to reporters shortly after the incident, Kaluma said he believed the attack was politically motivated. He claimed that his opponents had sent goons to disrupt the voting exercise and intimidate ODM agents. He also accused independent candidate Philip Aroko of instigating the violence, a claim that Aroko has not publicly responded to.
Witnesses said the group that attacked the MP confronted him shortly after he arrived with one of the aspirants. The motive of the assault remains unclear, although tensions have been rising in Kasipul throughout the campaign period. Security officers rushed in to restore order and voting resumed under heavy police presence.
The MP’s bodyguard, who was also injured, was disarmed during the scuffle. Authorities are investigating how the firearm went missing and have launched a search operation.
ODM candidate Boyd Were Ong’ondo urged residents not to be intimidated by the violence. He appealed for calm and encouraged voters to continue turning out, saying the people of Kasipul should not allow hired gangs to influence the outcome of the election.
The attack on Kaluma added to a series of incidents reported in the run-up to the by-election. Police confirmed that there were disturbances on Wednesday night in parts of Narok and Kakamega, where several people were injured in election-related confrontations. In Kakamega Town, a man accused of involvement in rigging was held captive and beaten before being rescued and taken to hospital. In Narok, a ward candidate was reportedly accosted by unknown individuals.
The National Police Service said voting began smoothly in most centres despite isolated cases of unrest. NPS spokesperson Muchiri Nyaga said officers are working closely with the IEBC to safeguard the process and protect both voters and polling officials. He said security teams are on standby to respond to incidents and urged members of the public to report any suspicious activity.
IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon assured voters that security has been heightened across the constituency. He said each polling station has at least two officers on duty and mobile teams are patrolling various locations to ensure a peaceful environment. He encouraged voters to remain calm and exercise their democratic rights without fear.
Investigations into the attack on MP Kaluma and the stolen firearm are ongoing. Authorities have cautioned political actors against inflaming tensions as the tallying process continues.
