CORD defends its leaders over Bungoma killings

By Standard Team

Bungoma, Kenya: The Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) is alleging a scheme to implicate a section of its leadership in the spate of killings in Bungoma County.

It follows the questioning of Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang’ula’s brother Fred Wetang’ula on Monday by police for several hours over the mayhem.

Police also confi rmed that former Bumula MP Bifowli Wakoli recorded a statement on the killing of at least six people by the machete-wielding gang.

CORD raised the alarm Tuesday after holding a parliamentary group meeting in Nairobi chaired by its principals Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka and Wetang’ula.

Fred, who recorded a statement at the Bungoma Criminal Investigations Department (CID) offices, is required to report to the Bungoma police station daily, The Standard established.

Sources said the CORD leaders in their meeting cited the questioning of Fred Wetang’ula and summoning of former Ford Kenya MP Wakoli as evidence the investigation of the killings is headed in a certain direction.

MPs allied to CORD claimed some senior members of the Coalition were being targeted over the violence that has gripped parts of western Kenya.

“CORD takes great exception with the Government trying to maliciously implicate a section of its political leadership in the insecurity,” Cord chief whip Gideon Mung’aro said.

The statement did not name the alleged targets but one of them is thought to be a member of the Senate.

On Monday, Deputy President William Ruto chaired a top security meeting in his office in Nairobi during which he told security chiefs to “do everything within their powers” to apprehend anyone who is involved in crime.

Ruto was told that a total of 228 people have been arrested and questioned and another 19 implicated in the attacks on villages would be charged with the killings.

Officers from the Special Crime Prevention Unit (SCPU) led by Alfred Hassan are leading investigations.

Tuesday, Western Provincial Police Officer Alfred Ombaba, who led a security team to the region, confirmed that police had summoned Wakoli.

Wakoli summoned

Ombaba said Wakoli had been asked to report at the local CID offices for questioning.

“My OCPD told me he called mheshimiwa to come for interrogation and he promised that he would cooperate and avail himself,” said Mr Ombaba.

“OCPD ni kweli sio (OCPD is that true)?” he asked the Bungoma police chief responded in the affirmative.

The PPO said Fred was questioned for “over seven hours” on Monday when he recorded a statement and was allowed to leave.

“Fred was summoned and he complied. He was interrogated for several hours before he recorded a statement and was allowed to go,” he added.

Police summoned Wakoli and Fred after they were adversely mentioned during security meetings, he added.

“We have not yet got evidence to charge them in court. We only asked them to come for interrogations after they were adversely mentioned during our security meetings in villages,” Ombaba explained.

Bungoma County Commissioner Jamleck Baruga said police were not ruling out involvement of politicians in the attacks.

“We have all the reasons to pursue politicians as investigations are pointing at them and we cannot leave them out,” he added.

“If need be we will go after more politicians mentioned in this matter irrespective of who they are in the society,” he added.

Election petitions

Sources close to detectives investigating the matter told The Standard they might be related to pending election petitions.

“The attackers might be out to intimidate people they feel might be witnesses in the petitions pending in the courts,” said the source.

A victim, Mr Godfrey Simiyu from Kikwechi village who is nursing injuries said: “Politicians are behind the attacks…they are doing so because they are bitter,” said Godfrey Simiyu.

Journalists camped at the Bungoma police headquarters waiting for Wakoli to appear for questioning Tuesday by the CID officers, but he was yet to show up by the time of going to Press.

Baruga added that political losers might be exacting revenge on villagers for spending a lot of money on them, but failing to get their votes as expected.

Investigations by police had revealed that some of the victims of the attacks were allegedly asked who they voted for in the March 4 General Election, before being slashed with machetes, he added.

“Victims told detectives their attackers asked them questions like “Who did you vote for?” or “Why did you let me down?”

The Commissioner explained the assailants appeared to target villages where some politicians did not fair well as they had expected.

More than 100 people have been seriously injured by marauding gangs who descended on the villages under the cover of darkness in trucks.

Mung’aro read a statement after CORD’s meeting at a Nairobi hotel.

At the meeting, the coalition resolved to tour the area this weekend to express their sympathies to the families affected by the attacks.

“CORD Members of Parliament and its leadership will travel to the two counties this Sunday to express their solidarity with the locals. There will be Sunday Mass Service in Busia and thereafter a public rally in Bungoma town in the afternoon,” he added.

CORD was also sympathetic to victims of insecurity in other parts of the country including Mandera and Garissa that have witnessed attacks.

They accused the State of laxity in addressing the insecurity.

“We are extremely dissatisfied with the slow pace with which the Government is moving to arrest the situation and bring the culprits to book,” Mung’aro added.