OL KALOU, Kenya- East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Kanini Kega has claimed he narrowly escaped an attack in Kasuku, Nyandarua County, shortly after campaigns for the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election officially ended on Monday evening.
Speaking after the incident, Kega alleged that armed police officers confronted him as he left the area after the close of campaigns. He said he was forced to flee and seek refuge in a home in Ol Kalou.
“I am lucky to be alive,” the legislator said. “I am only alive by grace of God.”
The legislator claimed the officers who confronted him were armed with firearms.
“They had guns,” he said.
Kega further alleged that he was pepper-sprayed during the incident before managing to escape.
Images from the scene showed the vehicle he was travelling in with extensive damage, including a shattered rear windscreen, a broken side mirror and other visible damage.
The circumstances leading to the confrontation were not immediately clear, and it was not possible to independently verify Kega’s account at the time of publication.
The National Police Service had not issued an official statement on the incident.
The alleged attack occurred shortly after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declared the end of campaigns at 6:00 p.m., ushering in the mandatory 48-hour campaign silence ahead of the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election scheduled for Thursday, July 16.
The by-election has been characterised by heightened political tensions, with the IEBC and the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) raising concerns over reports of voter bribery, violence, intimidation, destruction of campaign materials and other alleged electoral offences.
Authorities are expected to investigate the circumstances surrounding the incident involving the EALA legislator as the constituency prepares for polling day.