I know the one used to poison me, says Richard Onyonka

Kitutu Chache South Member of Parliament Mr Richard Onyonka says he knows the person who was used by his detractors to poison him.

Appearing in public for the first time since he was hospitalised for poisoning, he dismissed allegations that he faked the poisoning incident, even as he thanked those who prayed for his recovery.

 “I didn’t name the suspect immediately because I wanted police to complete their investigations. He was with me. He had been with me and when he gave me the water to drink, it bounced back as I wasn’t drunk as people are shamelessly claiming.  I don’t drink when going to a public rally. I am a Catholic and only drink wine. If you think being poisoned is a joke, wait to be poisoned to see how painful it is.”

He did not disclose the identity of the person. Mr Onyonka, who is serving his third term and is in the race for Kisii senator, spoke on Friday during a funeral service in his constituency.

At the same event, Bishop Joseph Mairura of Kisii Catholic Diocese condemned the poisoning incident, cautioning that politics should not breed such kind of evil.

“I condemn in the strongest terms those who attempted to poison Momoima (Onyonka), our son who speaks with clarity and is endowed with fine Ekegusii, Kiswahili and sometimes is even more articulate in English than I am.”

Bishop Mairura told the MP to watch his movements and use the incident as a warning shot that evil people are out to derail his political trajectory. He said Mr Onyonka is a refined and articulate politician who should be given a chance to sell his policies to the electorate freely without threats and intimidation.

The man of the cloth further told the legislator to put his acts together, present a credible manifesto and the people will vote for him.

Meanwhile, Mr Onyonka criticised leaders demanding that outgoing Governor James Ongwae guide residents on his succession.  “Ongwae is not in the race for anyone to claim that I am fighting him. In any case, Ongwae has done his 10 years.”

He said Mr Ongwae has no constitutional mandate to determine his successor, adding Kisii had been run down and needed urgent intervention.

During the evening of Friday, December, 17, 2021, Mr Onyonka was rushed to hospital for suspected poisoning.

Mr Onyonka was taken to Oasis Specialist Hospital in Kisii town after he started oozing blood from his mouth while addressing a political rally at Ibacho in Kisii County.

Mr Onyonka developed health problems in the full glare of the media at a function that was also attended by Dagoretti North MP Simba Arati.

He later started vomiting with attempts to clear the oozing blood from his mouth failing.

 Mr Arati together with other leaders in their camp later said that an unidentified person passed a bottle of water to Mr Onyonka who then proceeded to drink from it.