Senators Attacked During Audit Visit in Kisii County
A group of senators was attacked by suspected goons in Kisii County on Monday during an official oversight visit to review the county government’s spending.
The senators, who are members of the Senate Budget and Finance Committee, had travelled to Kisii to audit how the county administration was using public funds.
In a statement posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account, Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka directly accused Governor Simba Arati of planning the attack.
Onyonka claimed the assault was a calculated move aimed at interrupting the committee’s work and preventing them from uncovering financial irregularities.
Senator Onyonka strongly condemned the incident, saying the attack was designed to distract the team from their critical oversight role.
According to him, the committee had already identified worrying gaps and questionable entries in Kisii’s financial records, prompting the decision to make an in-person visit to the Kisii County Assembly for a deeper investigation.
“The Senate came to Kisii to perform its oversight mandate after noticing suspicious inconsistencies in the county’s financial documents,” Onyonka explained. “We went to the county assembly to raise and discuss those issues.
However, upon arrival, the governor allegedly mobilized groups to attack people whom he believes are politically aligned with me.”
Onyonka said the governor should have opted for legal procedures and official channels to defend himself rather than resorting to chaos and violence. He described the incident as a clear indication of poor leadership and disorganization within the county administration.
Despite the chaos, Onyonka emphasized that the Senate committee would not be intimidated or deterred. He reaffirmed the committee’s commitment to transparency, accountability, and good governance—not just in Kisii County but across all counties in Kenya.
“I want to make it very clear: we came here to audit the financial records of Kisii County,” Onyonka stated. “The governor seems to believe that violence will scare us off, but let me remind him—those tactics no longer work on us. We will not be silenced.
If he has nothing to hide, let him come forward and defend himself with facts and logic, not with threats and violence.”
This incident follows another politically charged disruption that occurred less than a month ago. On May 15, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki issued a public statement condemning political violence after suspected goons attempted to interrupt the launch of a political party linked to former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
DP Kindiki warned that the use of violence, hate speech, and divisive politics not only endangers national unity but also undermines Kenya’s democratic foundations. He urged political leaders to embrace dialogue and respect differing views rather than resorting to chaos.
“Our nation must uphold democratic values and focus on issue-based politics,” Kindiki said. “Violence, insults, and ethnic rhetoric should never be used as tools to resolve political disagreements.”
He added that Kenya owes it to both current and future generations to promote peace, mutual respect, and harmony—especially when differences arise in political or policy debates.
Senator Onyonka’s remarks and the Deputy President’s warning both signal rising concerns about a growing culture of intolerance and political violence, which could seriously derail the country’s democratic progress if left unchecked.
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