The heckling of President William Ruto in Isiolo during his week-long tour of northern Kenya has taken a fresh twist with new revelations that the incident was pre-planned with local politics at the center of it.
On Thursday, Isiolo Senator Fatuma Dullo made new revelations on the floor of the Senate linking high-ranking local politicians to the chaos and disorder witnessed during the presidential visit.
The legislator claimed that the chaos was not spontaneous occurrences but rather well-planned, putting Governor Abdi Guyo at the heart of the allegations.
There had been reports that the chaos could have been due to an alleged “abduction” of one Mr Sadam Buke by men in civilian clothes a day earlier during a crackdown on drug dealers and other criminals in the county.
However, Ms Dullo said there is documented evidence including a leaked video showing top county political leadership actively mobilising individuals to cause disruptions.
She claimed that Governor Guyo, while in Garbatulla, openly threatened to mobilise 5,000 people and promised what he termed brimstone fire against leaders opposing him.
“These threats materialised during the president’s visit where several leaders including myself faced orchestrated heckling and even the president himself was not spared from this organised disorder,” said Ms Dullo.
The senator said that the glaring security lapses that characterised the visit were pre-planned as the preparation for the visit was shrouded in secrecy deliberately orchestrated to exclude legitimate stakeholders’ participation.
When reached for comment, Governor Guyo laughed off the claims, saying the senator should not drag her into her way of doing politics in Isiolo.
“That is her behaviour. They planned for the heckling of my predecessor in 2020 during a visit by Raila Odinga. Former governor Mohammed Kuti could not even address the crowd. She did the same to first Governor Godana Doyo and wanted to do the same to me but luckily people turned against her and not me. She is a mad woman and I cannot engage her,” said Governor Guyo.
But according to Ms Dullo, the governor, in a calculated move to maintain absolute control, micromanaged every aspect of the presidential schedule and programming.
She said local leaders were deliberately kept in the dark about programme details until the last minute and even more disturbing was the top county security administration denied knowledge of the planned event despite behind the scene coordination with the governor.
“The chaos was not spontaneous occurrences but rather a culmination of systemic failure in security, governance and administration exacerbated by deliberate action of certain county government officials,” said Ms Dullo.
“These individuals operate under the protection of the governor’s office and remain untouchable by security agencies. Meanwhile, innocent youth including boda boda operators have been arbitrarily arrested and charged with flimsy accusations of public disorder,” she added, alleging compromised local justice systems.
The lawmaker said that known individuals with documented ties to the county leadership continue to roam freely despite their clear role in orchestrating the disruptions.
This comes after more than 40 youth were arrested after the fiasco, a move which the police said was targeting drug peddlers and muggers after an order from President Ruto.
However, a section of leaders in the county has claimed that the swoop is aimed at rounding up the youth who heckled the President.
“While county officials were caught on video organising 5,000 youth to cause chaos, it is the oversight staff under my office who were thrown into the cells without bond. This clearly exposes the arrest for what they indeed are."
She said there is an alarming rise in drug trafficking with narcotics being sold openly in broad daylight in the county, terming the practice an organised and well-protected operation and not just a small crime.
Ms Dullo said there is a clear link between drug trade in the county and local political network, calling on the Inspector General of Police to open investigations into the crime.
The senator also wants the EACC to investigate the link between suspicious wealth fueling political unrest and insecurity in Isiolo County.
