• Khalwale was caught by camera defending himself with stones as he faced rowdy youths during voting.
• Oparanya says such acts should not be tolerated but asks Luhya community to forgive.
Image: COURTESY
Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya has asked the Luhya community to forgive his former senator Boni Khalwale for hurling stones during Thursday by election.
Oparanya said they are striving to unite the entire Luhya community which will only work if all leaders have the will to unite.
He said Amani National Congress party leader Musalia Mudavadi and his Ford-K counterpart Moses Wetangula had choses a path to flex muscles against ODM but unfortunately lost.
He said by virtue Khalwale chose to campaign for Jublee's McDonald Mariga in an area he knew was ODM's zone.
But that he said did not warrant him to engage in hurling stones with sections of youth who in one way of the other didn't want him.
"Kwanza, nataka kuomba msamaha kwa niaba ya Khalwale kwa kitu alichofanya hapa Kibra," Oparanya said.
This loosely means, "First, let me apologise on behalf of Boni Khalwale for what he did,".
Oparanya was addressing Kibra residents at DC grounds in Kibra on Sunday during a thanksgiving ceremony for electing ODM candidate Imran Okoth.
Khalwale was caught by camera defending himself with stones as he faced rowdy youths during voting exercise.
The vocal senator later blamed Mudavadi and Wetangula for what had befallen him.
He then accused security agencies for having failed to condone the fracas that saw several members of parliament roughed up.
While narrating the scenario to his home town residents after the mini poll, Khalwale said that the MP Benjamin Washiali ran faster than the goons who had attacked Kimilili MP Didimus Barasa.
He also said that the Luhya community will not be forced to vote for someone by being stoned.
But Oparanya such an incident should not deter the community from forging ahead.
While thanking Kibra residents for voting for Imran, Oparanya said it is an indication that the residents believe in Raila Odinga's leadership.
The THursday fracas has seen Deputy President William Ruto take a jibe against Raila Odinga.
Ruto said ODM party won the mini poll because Raila deployed militia to cause chaos and disruption.
The DP said it was sad that though Raila and his brigade are advocating for the Building Bridges Initiative under the handshake, they had not learnt any lessons.
"The only strategy and structure Tinga's party had which largely succeeded was,violence, chaos,mayhem & terror meted out by organized baba's militia the same instruments used by terrorists organizations including outlawed groups,"Ruto wrote on his twitter page.
He added, "How sad they have learnt nothing from handshake!".
Kibra by election was conducted on Thursday and had attracted 24 contestants out of whom Imran Okoth won with over 24, 000 votes followed by Jubilee's McDonald Mariga with slightly above 11,000 votes.
Musalia Mudavadi's ANC candidate O walo came third with above 5,000 votes while Moses Wetangula's Ford Kenya candidate garnered only 260 votes.
Some 41,984 out of the 118,658 registered voters turned up to cast their ballots in the by-election which recorded 35.38 per cent turnout.