Kitutu Chache South Member of Parliament, Richard Onyonka, has come out to speak for the first time after he was reportedly poisoned at a political rally and rushed to hospital.
The vocal MP was addressing a rally in Kisii County on Friday, December 17, 2021, when he started oozing blood from his mouth.
The lawmaker's health situation worsened forcing his aides to rush him to the nearby hospital for emergency medical attention.
Appearing in public after that life-threatening ordeal, Onyonka revealed that he was aware that the person was approached by his political opponents to carry out that heinous act.
He narrated that the water he was served during the political rally was laced by poison that was aimed at eliminating him. The legislator went on to refute allegations that he faked the incident to gain political mileage and win electorates' sympathy.
“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 insisted.
Onyonka however did not reveal the identity of the person he claimed was used to poison him at that political function that was also attended by Dagoretti North legislator Simba Arati.
Arati after the incident together with other political leaders corroborated Onyonka's claims noting that an unidentified person passed a bottle of water to the MP who went to drink from it.
Bishop Joseph Mairura of Kisii Catholic Diocese condemned the incident advising Onyonka to be careful in all his political engagements.
“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.”
Onyonka, who is serving his third term and is in the race for Kisii senatorial seat, further called out his opponents for creating a contest between him and the outgoing Kisii Governor James Ongwae.
He added that governor Ongwae is not mandated by the constitution to pick his successor ahead of the August 2022 General Election.
“Ongwae is not in the race for anyone to claim that I am fighting him. In any case, Ongwae has done his 10 years," Onyonka stated.
Last year November, Onyonka ditched Ford Kenya led by Moses Wetangula for Raila Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
