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Orange Team Ejected From Nyachae Rally

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Published on Sunday, 23 September 2007 05:10
Police shot into the air to disperse rowdy youths who had attacked ODM leader William Ruto, forcing him to flee from a fund-raising meeting organised by Roads minister Simeon Nyachae in Kisii District Saturday.  In what seemed to be the first signs of violent campaigns, the youths clad in red shukas, with faces painted in the same colour, charged at Mr Ruto and ODM treasurer Omingo Magara moments after they alighted from a helicopter on their way to the harambee. The leaders hurriedly boarded the aircraft again but by that time, they had been injured after a club and metal rod were hurled at them.

The two leaders had just landed at a playground at Nyamarambe shopping centre to attend the harambee at which Mr Nyachae and a host of Gusiiland MPs supporting President Kibaki's re-election were in charge.  Another man accompanying Mr Ruto was rescued from the scene of the attack by a motorcyclist who helped him to escape.

Incidentally, the venue was in Mr Magara's South Mugirango constituency and he is the only MP from the region supporting ODM. The incident generated an exchange of words between the minister and ODM, with each side accusing the other of engaging in confrontational politics. Mr Ruto and Mr Magara said the youths had been hired by government functionaries to block their campaign for ODM and its presidential candidate, Mr Raila Odinga.

President Kibaki is to face Mr Odinga and ODM Kenya's Mr Kalonzo Musyoka and others in his re-election bid.  Yesterday, Mr Nyachae accused Mr Ruto and Mr Magara of provoking the crowd by attempting to storm his party's fund-raiser.  "That was a Ford People meeting and the youths were reacting to provocation by the two politicians," he said. "We had over 1,000 youths who were ready to give us protection, and those who want to use force should be ready for the fight. Those who come peacefully will be welcomed."

The Ford-P leader and Nyaribari Chache MP said he would not support Mr Odinga in his presidential bid, although both are from Nyanza Province. He said that when he contested the presidency in 2002, Mr Odinga did not support him.  "Therefore, the issue of us coming from Nyanza Province should be forgotten. I will make sure that I consolidate all the Gusii vote for President Kibaki."

Mr Odinga's running mate, Mr Musalia Mudavadi, said the hostility shown to his colleagues was part of a wider government scheme to cause tension in ODM strongholds.  "We have information that they intend to do the same in Nyanza, Rift Valley and Western provinces," he added. Mr Mudavadi urged police commissioner Hussein Ali to send an independent team from Nairobi to investigate the incident.

"Our colleagues had gone to support a noble cause of raising funds for the youth in Mr Magara's constituency, but were attacked," he said. The former VP was speaking at Wilson Airport, Nairobi, where he and other ODM received Mr Ruto and Mr Magara who were later taken to Nairobi Hospital for treatment. He asked Maj-Gen Ali to explain why police did not arrest the armed youths, and demanded that the investigations be carried out immediately.

"There is a government plan to attack our leaders in different areas, and we need an explanation from the police commissioner," he said. "He should send a special team of officers from Nairobi to investigate the attack." Mr Musyoka and ODM-K secretary-general Mutula Kilonzo also condemned the attack on the ODM leaders. Speaking in Busia on Saturday, they said the country had moved away from such violence. Mr Musyoka said all political players should be given a chance to campaign freely without intimidation.