Chaos erupted when an aspirant for the Gatuanyaga ward rep seat in Thika, Kiambu County stormed a Jubilee campaign meeting attended by Governor James Nyoro and other local leaders.
During the confrontation, Michael Macharia of the Chama Cha Kazi's party sustained an injury on the head when an angry crowd pelted his vehicle with stones during the event at Komo Primary School grounds.
Governor Nyoro, accompanied by Jubilee's Thika Town parliamentary candidate Rev David Ngari Gakuyo and Cecilia Wamaitha (Gatuanyaga ward) had gone to open the new Komo dispensary when Macharia drove into the meeting in a Landrover blaring with music, interrupting the event.
Police had a rough time quelling the mayhem as the mob forced Macharia to drive out of the venue as he engaged organizers of the event in a verbal exchange which disrupted the occasion for more than 20 minutes.
Bishop Gakuyo intervened and prevailed on the crowd to spare the candidate from their wrath.
“Msimuumize ni mtoto wetu. (Do not harm him, he is our son)” pleaded the Bishop.
Speakers at the event later condemned the incident, accusing the aspiring MCA of breaching election campaign rules by storming his opponent’s meeting.
They asked the electoral body to take action against the “provocative candidate”.
“This is a gross violation of the campaign rules and we are asking the IEBC to take deterrent action on such candidates who are a threat to peaceful campaigns. People must refrain from interrupting their opponents’ events,” said Nyoro who is defending his seat on a Jubilee ticket.
He hailed Wamaitha for using her own resources to construct the dispensary and promised to have the facility upgraded to a health centre if re-elected.
Nyoro and Gakuyo also expressed concern over the stalled Sh1 billion Gatuanyaga-Munyu-Kang’oki whose contractor left the site after tarmacking less than 1 kilometre of the total 19.
The governor asked residents to elect leaders who have their interests at heart.
"This area has been neglected for too long and I am appealing to you to vote for Jubilee candidates," he added.
Gakuyo echoed the sentiments and said the constituency has been represented by "outsiders" who did not have the welfare of locals at heart.
