Magara suffers cuts amid Kitutu Masaba voter bribery claims

The Kitutu Masaba parliamentary by-election opened to news of violence as former South Mugirango MP Omingo Magara was attacked and slashed by a group that accused him of bribing voters.

However, the former MP said he was attacked as he transported election agents to a polling centre on Sunday night ahead of polls on Monday.

Mr Magara was slashed on the head and hand by villagers and was rushed to Ram private hospital in Kisii town by police from Nyamira and Keroka stations.

His vehicle was extensively damaged during the midnight incident that occurred near Matongo tea buying centre, Mochenwa village.

Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) returning officer Fredrick Odenge said a presiding officer accompanied by security officers rushed to the scene when they heard cries from the scene.

“The incident occurred about 100 metres from the polling centre and when my presiding officer and his security reached the scene, they found villagers attacking Mr Magara, accusing him bribing voters,” Mr Odenge said.

He said the incident was under investigation both by police and the electoral commission.

Fifteen candidates were cleared to battle it out in the by-election scheduled for November 28.

They include Mr Timothy Bosire (ODM), Mr Walter Nyambati (PNU), Mr Nyambega Mose (Narc-K), and Mr Samson Okioma (Ford-P), among others.

The Kitutu Masaba by-election was occasioned after Mr Nyambati lost the seat on August 12, 2011 after the Kisii High Court nullified his election, saying it was not free, fair and transparent.

Decline

Mr Odenge said Mr Magara declined to be taken to hospital by the security officers attached to the polling centre, and only yielded when senior officials arrived.

Keroka deputy OCPD Hellen Ng’etich told Nation.co.ke the matter was under investigation and therefore she could not give any further comment.

But Nyamira OCPD Shedrack Maithya, who was in the team that took Mr Magara to hospital confirmed the incident.

“It is true Mr Magara was attacked at night by people who suspected him of bribing voters. But according to what he told us, he was dropping some friends in Mochenwa area in Masaba North district when he was attacked,” Mr Maithya said.

Meanwhile, a clerk at Riamoni polling centre was replaced following claims that he had openly sited with one of the candidates during the polls.

“I recalled the clerk and replaced him. I am investigating claims against him. But voting is going smoothly in the affected polling centre,” Mr Odenge said.
However, he said in other centres, voting started at 6am and no ugly incident had been reported.