Bosire: My 24 hours police siege during Bonchari polls
ODM National Treasurer Timothy Bosire has recounted a police siege that saw him detained for more than 24 hours during last week’s Bonchari by-election.
Bosire, who is a former Kitutu Masaba MP, said a contingent of heavily armed officers arrived at Ufanisi Resort in Kisii town on the evening of Monday, May 17 and demanded to search his car and hotel room.
Police officers who attempted to search the room and the car were however thwarted by Bosire who demanded that his lawyers must be present before the search is conducted.
“The officers claimed they had intelligence that I was carrying a lot of money meant to bribe voters. They demanded to search my room but I declined until my lawyers arrived,” he said.
The ODM official told the People Daily that he had feared police were carrying fake money which they wanted to plant in his room or car to justify a plan to arrest him.
However, his woes were not over yet as the hawk-eyed law enforcement agents barricaded the hotel from Monday evening until Tuesday night to stop him from exiting.
“I stayed in the hotel for over 24 hours as the police could not allow me to leave.
They only withdrew after the results of the election started streaming in and ODM’s Pavel Oimeke was leading,” Bosire said.
Home raided
Bosire said that lessons had been learned from the by-election which also saw Kisii Governor James Ongwae’s home raided by police three days to the by-election.
The former MP believes the rift between their camp and senior officials in the Office of the President emanated from an earlier meeting they had held at Harambee House where they failed to convince them to have Oimeke step down for the Jubilee candidate Zebedeo Opore.
Police who had raided Ongwae’s home claimed the governor was holding an illegal meeting with supporters but only found him with Senator Prof Sam Ongeri and Woman Representatives Janet Ong’era (Kisii) and Pamela Odhiambo (Migori) having tea.
Reconciliation
However, the officers refused to withdraw from the compound with reports indicating they left after a furious Prof Ongeri called President Uhuru Kenyatta to complain over the siege.
Interior CS Fred Matiang’i, who has been accused of misusing the police for a political cause, is yet to issue a statement inspite of pressure with reports of a planned censure motion.
Following the divisive polls, the Gusii Council of Elders led by James Matundura has called for reconciliation between the CS and political leaders.
Matundura has urged the duo to forget their differences, forgive each other and work together to foster development in the region.
“It is not our interest to know the nitty-gritties of what caused the differences, but it definitely in our interest to see the community leaders united,” he said.
