Man accuses MP Kibagendi of assaulting him over 'girlfriend'

Kitutu Chache South MP Anthony Kibagendi during an interview with The Standard at his office in Nairobi. May 28th,2024. [File, Standard]

Kitutu Chache South Member of Parliament, Antony Kibagendi, has been accused of assaulting a man at a restaurant in Kisii town on November 27, 2025.

Omariba Astarico claims the lawmaker suspected him of having an affair with his girlfriend.

Speaking to journalists two days later at Nairobi Hospital, where he had sought treatment, Astarico said a furious Kibagendi warned him to leave the woman.

According to Astarico, the lawmaker, who was accompanied by his bodyguard, stormed the restaurant while he was having breakfast with a lawyer friend and attacked him, leaving him badly injured on his left leg. “The honourable Member of Parliament stormed in directly to me, shouting and alleging that ‘I am having an affair’ with his girlfriend,” he claimed.

CCTV footage that went viral shows Kibagendi checking into the hotel a few minutes before 9am on the day, dressed in jungle green trousers, a black jacket, and a face mask.

The footage captures the lawmaker pointing and seemingly shouting  at the complainant, who was wearing a white t-shirt and a red cap.

Within moments, the MP pounced, kicking and raining blows on Astarico as two customers and hotel staff tried to separate them. The footage also shows Kibagendi shoving a customer who intervened before he was finally whisked away. “He was shouting at me that I have to leave my girlfriend and I should keep away,” alleged Astarico, who reported the matter to Kisii Central Police Station after obtaining a P3 form detailing the alleged assault.

The Nairobian’s efforts to reach the MP were unsuccessful, as he did not respond to text messages or WhatsApp messages, and calls went unanswered.

Astarico’s lawyer, Bernard Atancha, decried the delay in apprehending the legislator and urged the police to expedite the matter. “We are giving the police an ultimatum to ensure the culprit, who caused mayhem in Kisii town, is arrested and brought before the court as soon as possible,” said Atancha.

He added that their client has continued to receive threats from the MP.

According to Jacob Kola, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officer leading the probe, they are at the tail end of investigations after reviewing the CCTV footage. “We have compiled the file, and it is ready,” he said.

In September, the MP was involved in a scuffle with his Kitutu Chache North neighbour, Japhet Nyakundi, during the burial of former Kisii Governor James Ongwae’s mother in Nyakundi’s constituency.

The altercation ensued after Nyakundi moved in to interject Kibagendi’s speech by cutting him short and snatching the microphone.

Kibagendi is well known for boasting about his physical fitness. After the fight with Nyakundi, he took to social media, claiming that his strength had enabled him to resist his colleague’s attack.

“Thanks to my physical fitness, I resisted his intention to shove me off the podium,” Kibagendi wrote.