Stoning of Raila’s Chopper was premeditated - Matiang'i explains why
By Joshua Cheloti
Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiangi has told Members of Parliament that last week’s attack on a chopper ferrying Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate Raila Odinga was elaborately planned.
Matiang’i said preliminary investigations have unearthed extensive prior meetings and funding of the incident in Kabenes, Soy Sub County in Uasin Gishu that left the chopper and vehicles damaged.
“It was planned because we have arrested suspects with a lot of money in Ksh50 notes. Clearly, there must have been some choreography behind that because it’s not coincidental that the suspects had so much money in the same denominations, and some of them were distributing it around that particular time,” he said.
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File image of Interior CS Fred Matiang'i. |Photo| Courtesy|[/caption]
Police have arrested and questioned 17 suspects in connection with the attack and are pursuing more suspects.
The 17 were presented in court on Monday, facing among others attempted murder, destruction of property, and causing disturbance charges. The court allowed police 7 more days to finalize investigations.
Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi and Caleb Kositany of Soy, alongside Uasin Gishu Assembly Speaker David Kiplagat, have already been grilled by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) over the matter.
Appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Administration and National Security on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, Dr Matiang’i, however, said such incidents were isolated and that majority of political activities across the country were generally peaceful.
He cited Deputy President William Ruto’s incidents in Busia Town and Kondele in Kisumu County as the other few instances of crowd trouble that were effectively dealt with.
But he warned that rampant voter bribery and ‘rented crowds’ involving the ferrying of supporters to political functions are threatening peace and straining security resources.
“Politicians are spending money to pay youths and move huge groups of people and ferry others at night. This phenomenon of renting crowds and trying to posture for popularity or what you may call pretended populism is what is actually going to hurt us,” the CS said.
He further assured that the government has ring-fenced enough resources to secure the upcoming general elections, and will match the needs of the IEBC to ensure the polls are conducted in a peaceful environment.
This comes even as ODM chairman John Mbadi called on the police to take the probe into the incident seriously.
“What we expect from the government is simple, dig deep into this matter. If you saw those youths, the way they were behaving and conducting themselves and communicating, it is clear that someone had organized this. They appear to me like the youth who have received some drills on security issues,” Mbadi told journalists at DCI headquarters in Kiambu where he had been summoned over the incident, alongside MPs Junet Mohamed (Suna East) and Babu Owino (Embakasi East).
File image of Interior CS Fred Matiang'i. |Photo| Courtesy|[/caption]
Police have arrested and questioned 17 suspects in connection with the attack and are pursuing more suspects.
The 17 were presented in court on Monday, facing among others attempted murder, destruction of property, and causing disturbance charges. The court allowed police 7 more days to finalize investigations.
Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi and Caleb Kositany of Soy, alongside Uasin Gishu Assembly Speaker David Kiplagat, have already been grilled by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) over the matter.
Appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Administration and National Security on Tuesday, April 5, 2022, Dr Matiang’i, however, said such incidents were isolated and that majority of political activities across the country were generally peaceful.
He cited Deputy President William Ruto’s incidents in Busia Town and Kondele in Kisumu County as the other few instances of crowd trouble that were effectively dealt with.
But he warned that rampant voter bribery and ‘rented crowds’ involving the ferrying of supporters to political functions are threatening peace and straining security resources.
“Politicians are spending money to pay youths and move huge groups of people and ferry others at night. This phenomenon of renting crowds and trying to posture for popularity or what you may call pretended populism is what is actually going to hurt us,” the CS said.
He further assured that the government has ring-fenced enough resources to secure the upcoming general elections, and will match the needs of the IEBC to ensure the polls are conducted in a peaceful environment.
This comes even as ODM chairman John Mbadi called on the police to take the probe into the incident seriously.
“What we expect from the government is simple, dig deep into this matter. If you saw those youths, the way they were behaving and conducting themselves and communicating, it is clear that someone had organized this. They appear to me like the youth who have received some drills on security issues,” Mbadi told journalists at DCI headquarters in Kiambu where he had been summoned over the incident, alongside MPs Junet Mohamed (Suna East) and Babu Owino (Embakasi East). What's Your Reaction?
