Five shot and injured in Makueni County Assembly chaos

Five people, including Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana’s chief of staff and a bodyguard, were on Tuesday shot and injured as chaos rocked the county assembly.

A police officer was also injured in the melee during a meeting between MPs and members of the county assembly (MCAs) in the assembly chambers.

Those injured were the bodyguard, only identified as Kinoti, the Makueni chief of staff Douglas Mbilo, sergeant-at-arms Brian Mutua and a Kibwezi resident identified as Musyoki, alias Orengo.

Makueni divisional police commander (OCPD) Philip Opiyo said the injured were rushed to Makueni Referral Hospital for treatment.

He said they heard several shots after a mob decided to break into the chambers and scuffled with the legislators' bodyguards.

“All the legislators had their bodyguards who were armed (and) therefore we cannot establish whose gunshot hit the victims. We are investigating but those found guilty will face the full wrath of the law,” said Mr Opiyo when he spoke to journalists.

Crowds had milled around the assembly building before gunshots rang out from the building, where the leaders were meeting.

Majority Leader Francis Mutuku, alias Musso, accused the governor of hiring hooligans to disrupt the meeting in the assembly.

Mr Mutuku claimed Mr Kibwana was against accountability and transparency and that when he was questioned he hired hooligans to stone the MCAs and legislators.

“We knew from the onset that the governor had already hired goons to disrupt the meeting and cause chaos in the assembly,” said Musso.

However, the governor told reporters that it was his right to attend the meeting as a leader in Makueni.

BLAMED THE POLICE

He blamed the police for the chaos, saying that they were supporting impunity when they barred the residents from entering a public facility.

“You as police officers are supporting impunity and corruption as this is a public utility and they had all the rights to be here,” said Mr Kibwana.

The governor accused the assembly of hiring hooligans to attack his chief of staff and of allowing the bodyguards to open fire.

“These people in the assembly are goons. We do not know how many have ammunition inside the assembly,” he said.

Mr Kibwana accused the assembly of hiding behind doors, while claiming that the Jubilee government was sabotaging the county government because of its support for a referendum on the Constitution.

“This Jubilee (government) will fail in its move to sabotage (the push for) a referendum as they are attacking Makueni for supporting Pesa Mashinani,” he said.

A leadership crisis has been looming in the county after legislators issued a 14-day ultimatum over the weekend to Governor Kibwana to sack corrupt officers in his government or face impeachment.

The lawmakers, led by Mbooni MP Michael Kisei Munyao, have accused the governor of abetting corruption and impunity at the expense of development in the county.