Three injured in attack on aspirant's convoy in Nyeri

An aspirant for the Kieni parliamentary seat in Nyeri and his campaign team were Tuesday morning attacked by suspected robbers at Solio, on the Nyeri-Nyahururu road.

Three members of Stephen Muchire's campaign team suffered serious injuries after being beaten and robbed by a gang on the highway as they drove home from a strategy meeting at around 1.30am.

The attack left Mr Muchire’s brother, Naphtali Nderitu, in critical condition, with the aspirant accusing political rivals of orchestrating the attack.

The robbers, said to have been five, blocked the road at a bridge on the highway using rocks to stop the vehicles before ambushing the occupants.

During the attack, the assailants made away with mobile phones and shoes belonging to three of their victims and damaged the cars.

ASPIRANT UNHURT

The politician and his driver managed to escape unhurt.

The team that was travelling in two cars had held a meeting at an entertainment joint in Nyeri Town and left a few minutes to 1am heading to Nairutia, where the aspirant resides.

Thirty minutes later, the politician’s car hit the blockade and a car that was tailing them rammed into it from behind.

“When we stopped, the other car hit us from behind. I saw some men running from the bushes, so my driver and I ran out and fled, but my colleagues were badly injured,” said Mr Muchire.

UNLUCKY

However, the other three men were not lucky, as the robbers descended on them with clubs and metal bars as they pulled them from the vehicle.

A member of the campaign team, Michael Macharia, said he counted five young men, who spoke in both Kikuyu and Swahili.

“I tried to run, but one of them caught up with me and threw me to the ground. They kept asking us, “Mnataka nini na Kieni yetu?” (What do you want from our constituency),” said Mr Macharia.

He said the attackers accused them of being a nuisance in the area.

“One of them said, “Nyinyi ndio mnatusumbua huku” (You are the ones giving us trouble in this area). This is purely political,” Mr Macharia added.

RUSHED TO HOSPITAL

Police officers on patrol arrived moments after the attackers left and rushed the injured to Mary Immaculate Hospital in Mweiga Town.

“This is the work of my rivals, but I will not be scared. I am in the race to the end,” said the aspirant.

However, police disputed the claims of a political motive in the attack, saying it was a highway robbery.

Kieni West Divisional Police Commander Joseph Omijah said the area has a history of highway robberies.

“I know we are in a political season, but this is in no way a political attack. We are dealing with a case of highway robbery which we admit has been a problem but it is being addressed,” said Mr Omijah.

The police boss said hourly patrols had been initiated in the area to curb the attacks.