I am not hiding from detectives, MP Ong'ondo Were says

Kasipul MP Ong'ondo Were has told those eying the constituency seat to wait until 2021 to sell their agenda. [Standard]

After maintaining silence over claims he had been involved in a club fight in his constituency, the Kasipul MP Ong'ondo Were, has come out to clear the air.

Speaking to Standard Digital on phone, the MP denied claims he has been playing cat and mouse with the police over the incident which left one person dead and two seriously injured.

The legislator who has been making headlines in social said he has been discharging his office duties normally - and is surprised by reports in a section of the media that he has been hiding from police after the fracas.

Hon Were however, admitted he was at the hotel when the fracas broke out, but said he heard sketchy details about the incident involving a group of youths who had accompanied him. He said he was only briefed about the incident after leaving the facility.

“It’s normal for youths to follow me whenever I am in the village. This is what they did when they saw me enter the hotel. I went upstairs leaving them downstairs. I later received reports about the fight following an argument,” Were said, adding that he was whisked away by his security details after being briefed about the incident.

He accused his political opponents of spreading news that the DCI had put him on his radar in relation to the attack.

“They claim Hon Were is hiding from the police, how is that possible when I am being guarded by police officers themselves? If they want to arrest me it won’t take them even an hour,” he said.

The MP blamed some unnamed local politicians for the unfortunate fracas at the hotel, saying people who killed the late were ferried to the hotel by a politician.

The ODM legislator told those eying the constituency seat to wait until 2021 to sell their agenda.

The MP said CCTV cameras at the hotel can bear him witness.

Kenneth Jabuya who was stabbed in the stomach during the incident is yet to be discharged from a Kisii hospital, while Lamon Okoth another victim is out of danger after leaving Rachuonyo Level Four Hospital two days ago.

One of the victims identified as Jerry Okiso succumbed to injuries sustained during the attack.

Police investigation

The MP has now asked the police to investigate former East Kamagak MCA Sam Okumu over the fracas and the subsequent killing of Okiso.

"There are reports linking a former MCA to the chaos and we want detectives to probe the matter further so that our people can know who planned the unfortunate fracas," he said.

Mr Okumu however could not be reached for comment as his phone was switched off for the better part of the day.

"These are the same people who paid youths to attack our party chairman and they are at it again because no action was taken against them," Hon Were said referring to the recent attack on Kasipul ODM chairman Evans Ndege in Oyugis town.

Ndege was attacked at the new Oyugis market site by youth allegedly hired by the same politicians perpetuating violence in the area.

The attack on the party chairman (Ndege) was reported at the Oyugis Police Station under (OB/3611/4/19) but no action has been taken with the police saying the matter is under investigation.

The legislator challenged police to take action against politicians out to spread hatred in the constituency.

"Police must investigate the two incidents starting with the attack on ODM official, because they are same people causing mayhem in the area."

He warned unnamed county officials against funding youths to cause trouble in his area, saying he will soon expose them.

"It will reach a time we will have to tell our people who these people are, we know the former MCA is being funded by a County Executive, we will expose them," he added.

The constituency has been hit by a wave of attacks in the recent past due mushrooming political factions.