Poll violence victim blames former Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara
Mr Bernard Orinda Ndege, who lost his entire family in post election violence in Naivasha in 2008 before he gave his testimony in Kisumu before the Truth justice and Reconciliation Commission. PHOTO | TOM OTIENO | NATION MEDIA GROUP
A man who lost his family of nine during the post-election violence in Naivasha has accused former MP Jayne Kihara of playing a role in the chaos.
Mr Bernard Orinda Ndege, 54, said Ms Kihara told a rally near the Naivasha District Hospital that some communities had to leave the area for supporting her rival, Mr John Mututho.
Ms Kihara was defending her seat on a Narc Kenya ticket while Mr Mututho contested on a Kanu ticket.
“She called a gathering near the hospital and said that since people from the Luo and Luhya communities had combined forces to vote for Mr Mututho, they must leave this place,” Mr Ndege said.
He was testifying before the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission in Kisumu on Thursday.
Before the violence erupted, he added, all machetes in a local supermarket were bought. He is convinced that these weapons were used in the attacks on Ms Kihara’s perceived enemies.
Mr Ndege also accused the police of betrayal. The officers, he said, urged them to go back to their houses and promised to protect them, but they were nowhere when the attacks started in broad daylight.
“In my house, we were shouting for help and our attackers, whom we believe were the Mungikis, were also shouting from outside. They poured petrol on the house and lit fire. I lost all my family members in the inferno,” Mr Ndege said.
Nineteen people, including a pregnant woman, were killed in the house.
Most of the victims, Mr Ndege said, were women who had sought refuge in the house after fleeing from panga-wielding youths.
He said the killings were politically instigated, adding that there was evidence that the Mungiki youths earned Sh7,000 every evening for their work in the area.
The killers were transported from Nairobi and other towns, he said.
Mr Ndege appealed for urgent medical treatment, support for his children’s education and compensation from the government for the loss of his family members.
He also called for the prosecution of all perpetrators of the violence, saying that if they are not tried, worse violence could erupt in the next election.
Mr Ndege said that there had been no violence in Naivasha since 1978 when he settled in the town as a fisherman.
He also said that the number of those reported to have been killed was more than what has been reported.
“There were many others who were killed and their bodies thrown into pit latrines,” Mr Ndege said.
