Businessman cum politician Philip Aroko, who was an aspirant in the just conluded Kasipul by-elections, has addressed allegations surrounding the assault on Homa Bay town MP Peter Kaluma.

While speaking on an interview on Oga Obinna’s show, Aroko, who came second in the by-elections, stated that Kaluma faced hostility following accusations that he had tried to influence voters with money.

Aroko rejected suggestions that he orchestrated the assault on Kaluma, maintaining instead that he attempted to shield the MP from an angry crowd of young people advancing toward him.

He explained that he was speaking with Kaluma at Agoro Sare High School when hostile individuals invaded the polling location and began confronting the MP over alleged vote-buying.

“I was a candidate, so I was allowed to go around and see what was happening, so when I got to Agoro Sare, I found him with some MCA from Kabondo Kasipul,” Aroko stated.

He mentioned that prior to their encounter, there were reports of money being handed out to influence voters.

He pointed out that Kaluma wasn’t registered to vote at that location, and when they met, he approached the MP to ask about his presence there.

“Before that, we heard that they were distributing money. They were bribing voters. Remember, he was not a voter in that place. I met him; he was the one I went to greet. I asked what he was doing there,” he continued.

The runner-up described how, despite his efforts to protect Kaluma from the unruly crowd, his security personnel were overwhelmed by the attackers, who then proceeded to assault the legislator.

“Those were not my people who hit him. People overwhelmed me, so I had to move away; that is when I was hit,” Aroko stated.

Aroko revealed that the reason as to why IEBC imposed a fine of Ksh. 1 million on him was for not adhering to the designated schedule that afternoon, as he was supposed to be in a particular ward at the specified time according to IEBC requirements.

He mentioned that he had submitted a written request to the IEBC to be at that location during that period, but the letter failed to reach them in time.

“I was fined Ksh. 1 million by the IEBC because I never followed the schedule in the afternoon since I was to be in a specific ward at that time as per the IEBC. I wrote to IEBC to be in that specific place at that time but the letter didn’t get to them at that time,” Aroko explained.

Aroko’s statement comes approximately five days following the November 27 incident at Agor Sare during the Kasipul by-elections, where MP Kaluma and his bodyguard were assaulted by unidentified individuals.

The MP, who was present at the polling location representing the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) as party agent for Boyd Were, suffered significant head trauma.

Kaluma blamed Aroko for purportedly recruiting attackers to assault him and disrupt the Kasipul by-elections.

He further alleged that his bodyguard was assaulted and had his firearm taken, which was supposedly given to Aroko before being recovered later.