NAIROBI, Kenya- Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has said the government will investigate allegations that hooded, armed men caused chaos at polling stations during Thursday’s Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election.
Speaking after reports emerged of attacks on journalists and confrontations involving masked men at several polling centres, Murkomen said security agencies would establish who was behind the incidents and ensure appropriate action is taken.
His remarks came after a day of dramatic scenes in the Nyandarua constituency, where witnesses reported groups of hooded, armed men travelling in unmarked vehicles, including Toyota Prado SUVs, at several polling stations.
“Anyone culpable must be arrested,” Murkomen said. “Whether they were deployed by the Inspector General or not, they must be held to accountable.”
Among the most serious incidents was an attack at A.C. Primary School, where an NTV cameraman was reportedly tased, assaulted and robbed of his camera, while a Nation newspaper reporter was threatened at gunpoint and had her mobile phone seized.
A Star newspaper photojournalist was also assaulted and robbed of his camera while covering the vote.
Murkomen said the government would not shield anyone found to have broken the law, adding that investigations would determine the identity of the hooded men and the circumstances surrounding the violence.
The Cabinet Secretary had previously warned that the government would deal firmly with any attempts to disrupt peace during the Ol Kalou by-election, insisting that security agencies were under instructions to maintain law and order throughout the exercise.
Before voting began, the National Police Service deployed more than 1,000 officers, including personnel from the General Service Unit (GSU), Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU), to secure polling stations, election officials and voters.
Despite the security deployment, the by-election witnessed isolated incidents of violence that overshadowed an otherwise peaceful voting exercise marked by high voter turnout across the constituency.
Political leaders, media organisations and civil society groups have since called for a swift, transparent investigation into the attacks, warning that violence against journalists and voters threatens public confidence in Kenya’s electoral process.