A team of senators was reportedly attacked by goons in Kisii, where they had gone to carry out an audit into the county government's spending on Monday.
In a statement on his X account, area Senator Richard Onyonka accused the area Governor, Simba Arati, of orchestrating the attack on members of the Budget and Finance Committee to disrupt the audit.
Onyonka, who strongly castigated the incident, said the attack was aimed at derailing the committee's attention from how the county government was managing public funds.
According to Onyonka, the committee had initially spotted dents in the county's books and spending, necessitating it to visit the Kisii county assembly for further scrutiny.
"The senate came to Kisii to do an oversight on the county government after we realised that its books had issues. We went to the assembly so that we could discuss those matters, but when we arrived, the governor organised his goons to start fighting people he believes support me," he said.
The lawmaker claimed that the governor should follow the necessary legal protocols to defend himself rather than creating violence. Onyonka claimed that the incident reflected incompetence in the county government.
Onyonka asserted that the committee will not backstep in its efforts to ensure that there is accountability in the Kisii county government and other public officers in the country.
"I want to state categorically that we came here to audit the books of Kisii County, but why does the governor not want us to come and do that? He believes that if he creates violence, then we will fear him. I want to tell him that the fear left us a long time ago. Logic is coming and making an argument where we are," the senator said.
The incident comes barely a month after Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, in a statement on his social media account on Thursday, May 15, castigated individuals he said use violence to settle political scores, moments after suspected goons attempted to disrupt the launch of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua's party.
Kindiki emphasised that violence, insults, and divisive politics threaten to sabotage the country's democratic progress.
The DP stressed the need for democratic tolerance, which he said will boost the country's growth and safeguard future generations.
"Our country must exercise democratic tolerance and embrace issue-based politics. Insults, violence, and divisive rhetoric as a means of processing political differences of opinion have no place in our society," Kindiki said.
"We owe to the current and future generations a nation built on peace, peaceful coexistence, and respect for one another even when we disagree on issues of policy," he added.
