Police are looking for Kenya Kwanza alliance principal Irungu Nyakera for allegedly assaulting his sister on Wednesday afternoon. Mr Nyakera is the national chairman of the Farmers Party, which backs Deputy President William Ruto’s presidential bid.
Mr Nyakera, a former Housing principal secretary, is also contesting the Murang’a governor’s seat.
Trouble for Mr Nyakera started when an amateur video emerged on social media on Wednesday capturing him in a compound at Kahawa Wendani, Kiambu County, engaging in a heated argument with his sister, Ms Joyce Wambui Njoki.
Ms Njoki is also a Jubilee-nominated member of the Murang’a County Assembly. Mr Nyakera is seen slapping Ms Njoki across her left ear as his aide attempts to restrain him, while another man dressed in security attire beseeches the politician to calm down.
On Thursday evening, Ruiru sub-county police boss Cecilia Kemboi confirmed the search for Mr Nyakera “and we intend to apprehend and charge him for assault that caused actual bodily harm”.
Ms Kemboi said police are not interested in the differences that led to the assault because “there are competent ways of arbitrating civil disputes, ours as regards this incident being purely to accord the two justice before court after Ms Njoki officially complained to us”.
Ms Kemboi said the matter was reported at the Kahawa Sukari Police Station, where she was issued with medical forms to be filled out by a competent health practitioner ascertaining the degree of her injuries in the alleged assault.
“She had the forms filled and she filed them back, recorded her statement as well as those of witnesses and we are good to go,” she said.
“We are now after Mr Nyakera to arrest him and arraign him in court immediately the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) gives us the go-ahead.”
This came as the Federation of Women Educationists in the Central region demanded that Dr Ruto publicly denounce Mr Nyakera’s public behaviour on the grounds that it fell short of a national political formation gunning for national leadership.
“We are interested to get the exact position of Dr Ruto in this matter of grave gender-based violence (GBV),” said Ms Josephine Mureithi, the area coordinator.
“Dr Ruto, being the Deputy President and an aspiring president should make his stand well known on GBV … We recommend that Mr Nyakera be declared unwanted in [Kenya Kwanza] until he faces the law over the incident.”
Murang’a County League of Women Voters treasurer Damaris Muthoni described the incident as “a grave blunder on the person of Nyakera and his political ambition”, demanding that the full force of the law be made to apply without fear or favour.
Mr Nyakera’s aide, Ms Virginia Ngare, told Nation.Africa that “this is a small and normal sibling rivalry” that should not be blown out of proportion. She said she disapproved of the matter being hyped and published, saying Mr Nyakera’s position is that “it should be resolved elsewhere away from public limelight”.
Mr Nyakera is running for governor alongside Senator Irungu Kang’ata (United Democratic Alliance), Dr Moses Mwangi (Safina), Jamleck Kamau (Azimio), Joseph Wairagu (DP), Joseph Mbai (Usawa Kwa Wote) and Henry Maina (independent).
They want to replace Governor Mwangi wa Iria, who has served the maximum two terms allowed by the Constitution.
