Kirinyaga County Woman Representative Jane Njeri Maina has called for a speedy and independent investigation into the events of August 23, 2026, when DCP party leader Rigathi Gachagua toured Kirinyaga County.
Njeri said what should have been an ordinary political activity descended into violence, intimidation, and fear, leaving several people injured and communities shaken.
“Regardless of affiliation, what should have been an ordinary political activity descended into violence, intimidation, and fear, leaving several people injured and communities shaken. We must confront this before it becomes normalized,” she said.
Speaking in Kirinyaga, the County Rep. said several people were injured and threatened with further violence, leaving them fearful for their safety.
“These are not minor political disagreements. Assault, intimidation, and the use of weapons have no place in democratic competition,” Njeri said.
She also raised allegations concerning the possible involvement of some politicians and their grassroots campaigners, saying the claims should be subjected to proper investigation.
Njeri said the allegations must be investigated without fear or favour. She cautioned that the claims should neither be dismissed because of political connections nor treated as proven before investigators establish the facts.
“What is unacceptable, however, is silence,” she said. “If the National Police Service and the DCI have received witness accounts, reports, video material, and information identifying persons of interest, the people of Kirinyaga deserve to know what action has been taken since that day.”
Njeri further said that if investigations establish that any person, regardless of political status, wealth, or family connections, planned, financed, transported, facilitated, or participated in violence, they should face the full force of the law.
“That is what equality before the law as envisaged in the Constitution means,” she said.
The County Representative vowed not to allow Kirinyaga to become a place where organised groups of violent young men are gradually turned into instruments for settling political disputes, intimidating communities, or controlling the political landscape.
“Soon, residents become afraid to attend meetings. Women become afraid to express their political choices. Young people are recruited into violence instead of productive livelihoods,” she warned.
Njeri urged young people not to allow politicians to exploit their unemployment, frustration, or financial difficulties and turn them against their neighbours.
“It is ordinary Kenyans who will be arrested, injured, or killed. Your future, dear young people, is worth more than a politician’s campaign. Political competition is not war,” she said.
By Mutai Kipng’etich
