Kisii Senator Onyonka Escapes Goons in Bondo During Political Tour
Kisii Senator Richard onyonka has had a word to say after a pretty scary encounter with suspected goons messed up his travel plans in Siaya County on Saturday evening.
Outspoken as ever the lawmaker was headed for Bondo on April 25 after putting in an appearance at a Linda Mwananchi rally in Vihiga. His next port of call was meant to be Kang’o Ka Jaramogi, where he and other leaders were planning to go to pay their respects to the late Raila Odinga before heading up to Kisumu for another rally the day after.
But as you might expect things didn’t quite go according to plan.
Unexpected Confrontation at Bondo Stopover
Onyonka had a brief stop at a hotel near Bondo, in the hopes of grabbing a bite to eat. But what he found instead was that he was surrounded by a group of blokes.
According to the Senator, a bunch of men suddenly materialised, and blocked his way from getting into the hotel. In pretty clear terms, they told him to “shut up and get back in your car leave!”
and according to a video later shared by Onyonka one of them had yelled that very thing
For a moment, the whole situation looked like it was about to get ugly. But the Senator chose not to get drawn in. He got back into his car with his team and bailed, no one got hurt.
“We Left Unhurt,” Onyonka Recounts
A little later on that day, Onyonka was recounting what had happened and pointed out what he thinks is a pretty worrying trend
“On my way to Kang’o Ka Jaramogi, I made a pit stop at a restaurant near Bondo, hoping to grab a meal . But, it was just a few minutes later that these guys showed up and started giving me the grief saying that I couldn’t eat in Luo/Nyanza because I’m a Kisii and an opponent of William Ruto. We legged it, unhurt as it happens – the thug types showed up in proboxes ” he said.
The Senator didn’t hold back – he laid the blame directly at the door of President William Ruto claiming that he was effectively allowing incidents like this to happen in order to silence his critics.
Rising Political Tensions Raise Concern
Talking further, Onyonka pointed out that the incident is the tip of the iceberg – a sign of a growing problem: intolerance in politics.
He made the point that under democracy, people should be free to hold differing views – without facing hostility for their political views.
Still, amidst all this tension, there was one small moment he cited as a positive. “Some of them tried to abuse me but I’d managed to get into my car already. To be honest that incident was pretty bad, but there’s a silver lining to it. The hotel owner was actually quite vocal – kept telling the thugs “he’s a customer, I don’t know who you lot are or what you want, but I do know the guy is eating here.” I guess you could say that – that hotel owner had their backs, he stood up to those bullies.
A Pattern of Violence Against Opposition Leaders?
This isn’t an isolated incident – far from it. We’ve seen similar things happen in the past few weeks.
Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, who’s also a prominent figure in the Linda Mwananchi movement, was recently attacked in Kisumu in pretty much exactly the same way.
Word on the street is that a bunch of guys turned up at the hotel where he was sitting, dragged him out and gave him a good beating. CCTV footage caught the whole thing – showed how the attackers had him on the ground and the hotel staff trying to intervene. Osotsi was pretty badly hurt and was first taken to the Aga Khan Hospital in Kisumu for treatment before being transferred to The Karen Hospital in Nairobi for further care.
Later on, the authorities said they’d arrested three suspects and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations was looking into the whole thing.
After he was discharged from hospital, Osotsi fingered Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo for the attack – saying that’s what you get when you pay people to attack opposition figures.
Onyonka Stands Firm Despite Ordeal
Despite everything, Onyonka says he’s not letting the scare get to him.
In fact, he was adamant he’s sticking with the Linda Mwananchi movement, saying his involvement is based on a desire to bring about real change in the country.
For him, Saturday’s incident was more than just a one-off attack – it was a sign of what’s going on in the country right now. And if anything, it’s only strengthened his determination to keep fighting.
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Kisii Senator Onyonka Escapes Goons in Bondo During Political Tour
