"He apologised": MP aspirant's attacker hid her in toilet, gave first aid
This story has significance for readers across Kenya and beyond.
- MP Millie Odhiambo met a Kwale woman representative aspirant who was discharged from a Kisumu hospital and was still in a wheelchair
- The woman gave a harrowing account of how she nearly died after being beaten and left bleeding from the head during the Homa Bay chaos
- Her attacker admitted he was paid to target 'Wantam' proponents, had a change of heart and arranged her evacuation to hospital
Nancy Odindo is a current affairs writer at Tuko.co.ke (joined in 2023). She has one year of experience in print and more than five years in digital media.
Suba North Member of Parliament Millie Odhiambo has shared a disturbing account of violence against a Kwale county woman representative aspirant who was attacked during the Linda Mwananchi tour in Homa Bay on August 16.
She revealed that the woman was found bleeding profusely from the head before one of her own attackers intervened to save her life.
Odhiambo disclosed on Wednesday, August 19, that she had met the woman while she was en route to Mombasa after being discharged from a hospital in Kisumu, still confined to a wheelchair and in severe pain.
Attack survivor's account
According to the account the aspirant gave Odhiambo, she was beaten and left with an uncontrolled head wound when a young man who had been part of the assault raised a panga to finish her off.
A woman who witnessed the moment and knew the attacker by name appealed to him, arguing there was no justification for killing a defenceless and unarmed person.
The young man stood down. He then told the survivor that he had participated in the violence because he was unemployed and had been paid and instructed to kill those supporting the "Wantam" cause.
"The young man apologised and said he only does that because he is jobless and they were given money and instructed to kill " Wantam" proponents. His sense of humanity returned," said Odhiambo.
He subsequently hid her inside a toilet, administered first aid, arranged for an ambulance to take her and another victim to hospital, and assigned another young man to guard her.
Women specifically targeted
Odhiambo said the aspirant was not the only woman singled out during the chaos. She noted that Hon. Perpetua and other women who had spoken at the forum were also specifically targeted.
One woman lost her security personnel in the mayhem, and there were reports that some women were sexually assaulted.
"This lady and Hon Perpetua and other women who spoke were specifically targeted," Odhiambo wrote in her post, adding that she had not slept and was "shaking in rage."
How did Natembeya escape Homa Bay attack?
Meanwhile, the violence at the Linda Mwananchi forum in Homa Bay left at least four people dead and 34 others injured, including those with gunshot wounds.
The forum, led by Senator Edwin Sifuna, MP Babu Owino, and Governor James Orengo, had faced prior threats from ODM members, including Homa Bay Town MP Peter Kaluma, who was subsequently summoned by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission over inflammatory remarks.
Trans Nzoia governor George Natembeya, who was also present, earlier recounted how his vehicle's tyre was punctured.
He and a colleague fled on foot, climbing a fence at a nearby facility before escaping through thick vegetation and eventually reaching Kisumu by taxi.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
Reporting originally appeared via TUKO. Read the full source for additional context.