Dagoretti North MP Simba Arati issued an update on the health status of his colleague, Kitutu Chache South MP Richard Onyonka, following a poisoning incident.
Onyonka was rushed to hospital on Friday evening, December 17, after he started oozing blood from his mouth while addressing a political rally in Ibacho, Kisii County.
According to Arati, an unidentified person passed a bottle of water to Onyonka who drank it and immediately started developing health complications.
“When he took the water, he felt the taste was different and immediately spat it out. However, his body reacted in an instant. He started vomiting," Arati narrated.
The Dagoretti North MP added that Onyonka was rushed to a nearby facility for first aid and extensive treatment. Upon examination, the doctors noted that he did not swallow the contents from the bottle.
His mouth, however, had clear signs of erosion and ulceration. The MP was discharged on Saturday, December 19 and advised to recuperate at home.
“The doctors are yet to determine the chemical substances Onyonka ingested from the bottle of water,” Arati disclosed.
Other leaders present at the rally, were politicians Robert Monda, Donya Toto, Samuel Omwando, and several MCAs from the region. The local leaders also condemned the incident.
"We are lost as a society if this is the kind of politics we are engaged in. These are tactics of a dying horse. It is archaic and primitive that someone can resort to such kind of tactics to silence us," politician Samuel Omwando stated.
Arati suspended all other rallies scheduled for the month following the ordeal. He further implored the police to probe the incident and give a conclusive report.
"Let them leave no stone unturned, undertake a decisive probe and bring to book the suspect," he stated.
Onyonka is among leaders from the larger Kisii County who recently defected to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ahead of the upcoming General Election in August 2022.
The long-serving MP, who has represented Kitutu Chache in Parliament since 2007, expressed interest in ousting Sam Ongeri as Kisii Senator in 2022.
