Three to be charged with assault against Waiguru supporters

Three suspects have been arrested in connection to the attack on Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru's supporters.

They were seized when police raided their homes in Ngariama.

The suspects will soon be arraigned in court to face assault charges and creating a disturbance.

“Three youths have been apprehended and hopefully this will cool down the rising political temperatures in the region,” Ms Waiguru told the press yesterday at her Kagio home.

The governor congratulated the police for “work well done”, saying, the suspects were among a group of hired goons who attacked her supporters at Githure market in Gichugu Constituency.

A senior police officer, who wished not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter confirmed that the suspects were being held for questioning.

On April 12, Ms Waiguru’s supporters had gathered at the market to conduct a peaceful demonstration after an opposing group also staged demonstrations accusing the county boss of neglecting the area in terms of development.

Even before the demonstration kicked off, youths from the opposing side appeared and attacked the governor’s supporters who fled in different directions with their assailants in hot pursuit.

Business was halted temporarily as traders hurriedly closed their shops and fled.

“Fearing looting, we shut our business premises and escaped,” one of the traders said.

Later, Ms Waiguru’s supporters regrouped and said the youths had been hired to cause chaos.

“The youths had been given money by a well-known political rival of Ms Waiguru’s to stop us from staging a peaceful demonstration in support of the governor and [to] defend her against false accusations levelled against her,” one of the supporters, Mr Benson Kinyua, said.

Mr Kinyua described Ms Waiguru as a development-conscious leader, who deserves to be defended.

“Governor Waiguru’s administration has constructed a modern market at Kiamutugu and improved several roads in the area and those peddling false accusations should stop,” he said.

Another supporter, Mr Alexander Njeru, vowed that no amount of intimidation will deter them from rallying behind the governor.