- Philip Aroko denied allegations linking him to an attack on MP Peter Kaluma, insisting that the accusations were politically motivated.
- He said that the photos from Agoro Sare showed him trying to protect the MP and not leading the angry crowd
- The confrontation left Kaluma injured and the gun missing, which fueled the allegations of what happened
- Aroko denied claims that he was in possession of a stolen gun, saying the attackers were strangers and not part of his team
Philip Aroko has denied allegations involving a violent attack against Homa Bay Member of Parliament Peter Kaluma in the Agoro Sare area during the Kasipul by-election.
Source: Facebook
He claimed that the scenes captured on video showed him trying to stop the angry crowd, without exacerbating the anger that caused the riot.
The altercation that happened at Agoro Sare Primary School, left Kaluma covered in blood and seeing his security guard’s gun stolen.
Aroko maintains that his presence at the polling station was legal, noting that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officials had allowed candidates to walk freely and monitor voting in the entire constituency.
He explained that he arrived in Agoro Sare and found Kaluma acting as an agent and observer of the ODM candidate and now the elected Member of Parliament for Kasipul Boyd Were.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iframe%3E
Why was Kaluma targeted in Kasipul?
According to him, the tension started shortly after he greeted Kaluma and asked him to maintain justice in the activity.
While he was narrating, a group of young people attacked, accusing Kaluma of allegedly corrupting the election, he claims Aroko says he was spreading earlier that day.
“So when I told Kaluma, I told him … let’s not do anything stupid that you are doing here. So before I even finished talking to him, people were coming, people started yelling at him. So in the video, you will see me even moving away from … yes, I was the one who held him and moved him from that place. I was trying to protect people. Because people had accused him,” he said.
Aroko said that the situation soon got the better of him claiming that he was overwhelmed and had to get into his car and leave the scene.
Source: Youtube
Kaluma had previously accused Aroko of directing the attackers and claimed that his bodyguard’s gun was taken and handed over to the candidate during the violence.
However, Aroko dismissed the charge and called it a political fabrication and asked the MP to try to find the missing gun.
“I heard him say that the gun was taken and they should hand it over to me. That is a political statement. I don’t know. I think he needs to find it. I don’t know where it is,” Aroko said.
He also denied that he or his team carried out the attack, saying the attackers were not part of his convoy.
How did Aroko, Boyd react to the results of the Kasipul vote?
As previously reported, the by-election saw ODM’s Boyd winning with 16,819 votes while Aroko came second with 8,476 votes.
Boyd thanked the locals and the ODM party for believing in the leadership of the youth, while asking Aroko and his competitors to join him in making Kasipul better.
In his statement after his defeat, Aroko shared a secret text which indicated that he would be stabbed again in the 2027 General Election.
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