On Thursday, December 8, chaotic scenes were witnessed during the South Gem Ward by-election exercise when rival camps faced off over rigging claims.
Supporters of two front-runners, Polycarp Wanga of ODM and Independent candidate Brian Anyango stoned each other, with both teams alleging that the elections were marred with malpractices.
As a result, several vehicles were stoned, resulting in one of the cars veering off the road and overturning before landing in a ditch.
The five occupants were seriously injured, but no one died in the incident that also saw two other people knocked down by the same vehicle.
According to Gem central police station boss, Charles Chacha, the incident occurred at the Kambare Polling Station after individuals raised voter-bribery allegations.
“One person was attacked at Aluor Village for allegedly bribing voters to cast their ballot for one of the leading candidates.
“Six men, who were armed with crude weapons, attacked the victim,” Gem police boss Chacha told journalists.
The spate of violence spread to Kambare town, where more people were seriously injured when supporters of one of the candidates allegedly attacked members of the opposite camp.
Police noted that seven people were seriously injured in the Kambara incident while an angry mob destroyed the property of unknown value.
Chacha also mentioned that another person was injured in Aluor over voter-bribery allegations.
However, the police managed to rescue the victim before he could be lynched by an angry mob baying for his blood.
Victims of violence were rushed to local hospitals, where first aid was administered before being admitted.
The South Gem by-election was occasioned by the death of area MCA Nick Wanga in July 2022. A total of eight candidates are contesting to replace Wanga.
In Bungoma, Azimio La Umoja candidate for Senatorial seat, Wafula Wamunyinyi, on Thursday, December 8, accused his Ford-Kenya rivals of using marked ballot papers to try and rig the ongoing by-election.
Wamunyinyi alleged that members of the public burnt fake ballot papers in Sirisia and Bumula, where some agents were caught with marked ballots.
Source: kENYANS.CO.KE
