Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati's tour of Tongaren subcounty was marred with violence, living at least two people seriously injured .
Nominated MCA Fred Musebe and a bodyguard attached to Governor Wangamati sustained injuries during the melee.
Wangamati had gone to Tongaren market to open the ward administrator's office. Trouble started when area MCA Elly Tindi, who had not been invited to the function due to her frosty relationship with Wangamati, stormed the meeting.
She was given a chance to speak, an opportunity she used to tear into Wangamati's development record, accusing him of sidelining the region while taking all major projects to other subcounties.
“Why is it that when it comes to Tongaren, the only thing you launch here is a small office while other areas are having mega projects?" she asked amid cheers from her supporters .
This didn’t go down well with Wangamati's allies and staff who tried to shut her down .
Things went south when nominated MCA Fred Musebe, who had accompanied Tindi, took the stage and attacked Wangamati and Sports chief officer Carol Masete, who comes from the area .
It is at that point that Bungoma Deputy Governor Ngome Kibanani rose up and snatched the microphone from Musebe as security detail attached to Wangamati roughed up Musebe.
Wangamati tried to cool the rowdy crowd down that had already started exchanging blows before police officers were forced to intervene and disperse the gathering.
This, however, did not end there .
Wangamati later toured the neighbouring Mutyia Soysambu ward but was met with resistance from local youths .
Here, trouble started when Wangamati cast aspersions on Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang'ula before pro-Weta youths interrupted him, singing songs in his praise.
“Weta is no longer the party leader of Ford Kenya and whether he jumps or down the matter is done and dusted,”Wangamati told the crowd.
A section of the crowd responded by pelting his convoy with stones before he left with his entourage .
As his convoy got back to Bungoma town, it was again attacked by youths allied to Tindi.
Speaking to the Star on the phone, Wangamati's communication director Tim Machi blamed Tindi for being behind the chaos.
“This office was supposed to be opened long ago but she has been using goons to oppose its opening ," he said
He said none of the governors' staff attacked Musebe but locals who were not happy with his speech .
“It is, in fact, the MCA who attacked one of the bodyguards to the governor by the name Casper by attacking him with a blunt object and tearing his chin,” Machi said.
Musebe accused the governor of using his goons to attack those questioning development record, which he said was wrong.
“I was only attacked because I was telling the governor the truth about his poor development,” he said.
He said he reported the incident at Ndalu police station and was treated at Lumakanda Hospital in the neighbouring Kakamega county.
Edited by EKibii
