KDJ 032F: Black Toyota Prado listed under Florence Wamuyu Njuki and Beatrice Wambui Wamwiri
As Ol Kalou voters made their way to polling stations on July 16, a black Toyota Land Cruiser bearing the number plate KDW 600Q led a convoy of vehicles ferrying armed, hooded men.
KDW 600Q: Black Land Cruiser registered to Vipingo Industries Limuited. Company says they have same number plate, but for white Toyota Probox.
The hooded men fired live ammunition and tear gas canisters from sophisticated weapons at will, occasionally getting out of their luxury vehicles to assault voters, journalists and other members of the public.
National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) records show that the number plate is registered to a white Toyota Probox owned by Vipingo Industries, an indication that this number plate could have been duplicated.
NTSA records also show that KCQ 488H, a number plate on another vehicle in the convoy, a silver Toyota Prado TX, was issued to a black Mercedes Benz S Wagon ML350.
KCQ 488H: Silver Toyota Prado. However, it is registered as a Black Mercedez Benz belonging to Mr Peter Njenga.
Also captured in the chaotic scenes that day was a black Land Cruiser bearing the registration number KDL 477Q, which is registered to a John Njuguna Wanjiku, a name also borne by Kiambaa MP, who is also popularly known as Ka-Wanjiku.
The MP on Sunday admitted that his black Land Cruiser bearing the same number plate was in Ol Kalou, but denied being involved in any form of election-related violence. He explained that his vehicle stopped at a barricade as the hooded, armed men clashed with residents on the other side of the road.
KDL 477Q: Black Toyota Land Cruiser registered to Kiambaa MP John Wanjiku.
More than four days after the violence, and over 24 hours since an NTV exposé on the goons who unleashed terror last Thursday, police are yet to summon Ka-Wanjiku, the registered owners of vehicles used by the armed men, or several individuals captured on camera appearing to engage in voter bribery and other electoral offences.
Threat to safety
NTSA on Saturday told the Nation that it only issues one number plate for each vehicle, and that cases of forged or duplicated registrations are a threat to safety.
The NTV investigative story aired on Sunday night revealed how some of the operatives moved around Ol Kalou, violently attacking voters, journalists and even uniformed police officers.
As of yesterday, a team from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters formed to investigate the Ol Kalou violence was yet to start investigations. The team comprises officers from the Serious Crimes Unit and Special Investigations Department.
In Ol Kalou, both the police station commander and DCI bosses were still waiting for directives from Nairobi on how to proceed. This despite the directive to open the investigation issued last Thursday as footage of the chaos circulated online.
A source familiar with the matter said that the new investigations team was still waiting for complainants to file reports before embarking on the investigations.
“We are yet to get the complaints for us to act,” the source said. Authorities also cited lack of a statement(s) from complainants for the stalled investigation into the attack by armed men on opposition leaders in Witima, Othaya, in January.
This inaction is despite declarations by State officials that investigations had been launched.
In a statement on Sunday night, the DCI said it had commenced investigations into the violence witnessed during the Ol Kalou by-election, “including the involvement of armed and hooded individuals”. According to the agency, the investigations would also target individuals who planned, financed or incited the violence.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen had earlier directed the DCI to open investigations into the violence, stating that everyone found culpable would be prosecuted regardless of their political affiliation.
Speaking during a tour of Trans Nzoia County on Sunday, Murkomen said investigators had already begun efforts to identify the hooded and armed individuals. He added that any security officers or State operatives found to have acted unlawfully would face legal action.
If the DCI officers from Nairobi were to comprehensively investigate the crimes committed by the gunmen, they would have to travel to Ol Kalou where the offences were committed.
Summon the complainants
Depending on the scope and depth of investigations, the investigators would first visit the Ol Kalou police station to establish the number and nature of complaints lodged. The Occurrence Book recordings would help them get the complaints and details of the complainants.
The investigators would then summon the complainants to record statements and provide the evidence in their possession.
On Monday, the Nation spoke to multiple sources at the Nyandarua county police command and established that about 10 complaints related to the by-election had been filed at different police stations.
Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja and the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) announced before the by-election that 1,000 police officers had been deployed to Ol Kalou as part of security preparations.
Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja.
This would interest investigators as they would check with local security teams to establish whether there was any information or security briefs on the attacks, which would help investigations. From the security briefs, the DCI can track the movement of the individuals caught on camera.
With the help of local police, the Nairobi investigators could also get CCTV footage from buildings around Ol Kalou to further help in identifying the armed individuals.
National Police Service Spokesman Muchiri Nyaga said he was not in a position to speak on the progress of the investigations.
National Police Service Spokesperson Michael Nyaga Muchiri.
“Our DCI are dealing with the matter. They are yet to give us any feedback,” said Mr Nyaga.
The violence affected several Ol Kalou residents.
“I was among people who were caught up in an attack on a campaign truck belonging to the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) on July 12. Our attackers, who were wearing balaclavas, were using two Land Cruiser V8s.They trailed us and eventually caught up with us on the Ol Kalou -Gilgil road,” said John Kuria, a resident.
“They had firearms and lobbed tear gas canisters at us before launching the attack. We want those behind the violence arrested and prosecuted,” he added.
Everywhere they went, the hooded attackers brandished assault rifles, pistols, tasers and tear gas launchers. They also had walkie-talkies similar to those used by security agencies and handcuffs.
On the by-election day, a group of armed men drove through the streets firing into the air and lobbing tear gas canisters, some at crowds in which uniformed police officers stood. In one video clip, a hooded man carrying a club is seen dispersing people before boarding a moving SUV alongside another masked individual.
Another video shows a man standing on top of an SUV firing towards a crowd, while another appears to fire from the rear window of the same vehicle as it moved through the area.
In another scene, several men are seen running while carrying firearms as residents flee in different directions.
Six armed men
At the AC Primary School, the armed men, wearing balaclavas, unleashed terror on Nation journalists and stole their equipment. NTV’s George Kieru was robbed of his camera, while reporter Fabiola Akinyi lost her mobile phone after the attackers held her at gunpoint.
That attack was carried out by six armed men.
“We were covering the by-election at AC Primary School polling station when the armed men wearing balaclavas attacked us. We had gone there to report on a standoff between residents and police officers. Suddenly, the hooded men, who were brandishing guns, arrived in high-end SUVs and started attacking us. I managed to escape and sought refuge in a nearby shop,” the Nation’s South Rift Regional Editor Brygettes Ngana said.
One of the vehicles that was carrying hooded gunmen who lobbed tear gas at a crowd that had denied them access to AC Primary School polling station. The men also assaulted journalists filming the scene before they made away with two cameras.
Mr Kieru sustained injuries to his hand and back during the attack, and was curiously denied treatment at JM Memorial Hospital, forcing him to travel kilometres away to Nakuru.
He was later treated at the Valley Hospital in Nakuru and discharged.
“I was confronted by six hooded men who forcibly took away my camera. They assaulted me and ordered me to delete everything I had recorded before beating me and leaving me with injuries,” recalled Mr Kieru.
“I was filming the standoff at AC Primary School when one of the hooded men pointed a gun at my stomach and ordered me to surrender my phone. They grabbed it and sped off in a waiting Toyota Land Cruiser Prado TX,” Ms Akinyi said.
The violence followed earlier disturbances near St Joseph's Catholic Comprehensive School polling centre, where a group of masked men also fired shots in the air and released tear gas canisters, before assaulting Star photojournalist Enos Teche, who was capturing the chaos.
The incidents on election day marked the culmination of weeks of terror and intimidation unleashed by hooded individuals in vehicles with concealed number plates.
On July 12, a DCP campaign truck was attacked and set ablaze by a group of hooded men in Chokereria area on the Ol Kalou-Gilgil road. Footage in NTV’s possession shows women and men who had been campaigning atop the truck screaming for help as the attack unfolded.
On the eve of the by-election, a vehicle belonging to East African Legislative Assembly member Kanini Kega was also attacked at Kasuku area. Mr Kega and his driver escaped, but the attackers damaged his vehicle. Police who later visited the scene recovered live rounds near the vehicle.
The clergy, civil society, politicians and the media condemned the violence and demanded investigations and prosecutions.
Democratic Party of Kenya Party Leader Justin Muturi on Monday said the violence was laying the foundation for anarchy as the country heads into the 2027 General Election. He called for dialogue involving political parties, civil society, constitutional commissions and faith-based organisations.
DCP Party Leader Rigathi Gachagua, his Wiper counterpart Kalonzo Musyoka and Jubilee Deputy Party Leader Fred Matiang'i also condemned the violence and intimidation witnessed in Ol Kalou, saying it was a bad sign ahead of the 2027 polls.
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