HOMA BAY, Kenya — Philip Aroko, the runners-up in the recently concluded Kasipul by-election, has distanced himself from accusations that he orchestrated the assault on Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma, insisting that he was instead attempting to protect the legislator from a violent crowd.
Speaking Monday during an interview on Oga Obinna’s show, Aroko said the confrontation at Agoro Sare High School unfolded after tensions flared over allegations that Kaluma was involved in voter bribery at the polling centre.
According to Aroko, he was moving between polling stations—an activity he said he was entitled to as a candidate—when he encountered Kaluma. He claims the MP was in the company of a ward representative from Kabondo Kasipul when a group of youths stormed the area.
“Before that, we heard they were distributing money. They were bribing voters. Remember, he was not a voter in that place,” Aroko said, adding that he approached Kaluma to ask what he was doing at the station moments before chaos erupted.
He maintained that he played no role in mobilizing the attackers. “Those were not my people who hit him. People overwhelmed me, so I had to move away; that is when I was hit,” he said.
Aroko further claimed that Kaluma’s security team was unable to contain the rowdy group, who began flogging the MP shortly after the confrontation broke out.
The remarks come days after Kaluma and his bodyguard were assaulted by unknown individuals at the same polling station on November 27. Kaluma, who was serving as the ODM party agent for candidate Boyd Were, sustained serious head injuries and was rushed for medical treatment.
In a press briefing after the incident, Kaluma accused Aroko of hiring goons to attack him and disrupt the by-election. He further alleged that his bodyguard was assaulted and his firearm stolen, claiming the weapon was handed to Aroko before being recovered later.
