Government orders probe into Ol Kalou by-election violence after journalists attacked

Government orders probe into Ol Kalou by-election violence after journalists attacked

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The Interior CS says anyone found responsible for violence and disruption during the Ol Kalou by-election will be arrested and prosecuted, regardless of their affiliation.

Security agencies have been directed to investigate the violence and disruption witnessed during Thursday’s Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said anyone found responsible should be arrested and prosecuted, regardless of their affiliation or who deployed them.
“Let me assure Kenyans that the Inspector General of Police deployed enough officers to provide security in Ol Kalou. These allegations of some other persons causing havoc in Ol Kalou must be investigated thoroughly, and anyone found culpable must be arrested regardless of what they were doing and who deployed them to Ol Kalou,” Murkomen said.
He added that accountability must apply to everyone involved, stressing that no one should be shielded from the law if found to have disrupted the electoral process.
“Whether they were deployed by the Inspector General, they must be dealt with and dealt with conclusively,” he said.
Murkomen reiterated that the government would not tolerate violence during elections and urged all stakeholders to uphold peace and order throughout the electoral process.
“We are not condoning violence in any way,” he said.
His remarks followed reports of violence and disruption during the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, which raised concerns over security arrangements and sparked calls for investigations.
Despite the deployment of more than 1,000 police officers to the constituency, chaos erupted at several polling stations as voting entered its final hours. Journalists were assaulted, cameras were confiscated and police fired teargas to disperse crowds.
The incidents were reported at Ol Kalou Comprehensive School and AC Primary School, where hooded men, some armed and travelling in unmarked vehicles, clashed with youths outside polling stations.
Several journalists were injured after armed, hooded men travelling in five Toyota Prado SUVs allegedly assaulted them and confiscated their equipment.
Videos circulating online also appeared to show hooded men carrying firearms and travelling in a Toyota Land Cruiser as they attempted to disperse voters and members of the public.

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