Kenyan politician Seth Panyako, the DAP-Kenya candidate in the Malava parliamentary by-election, has been arrested, only hours after he was allegedly attacked and one of his vehicles was set on fire.
DAP-K confirmed the arrest on Wednesday, saying Panyako was being held at the Malava Police Station.
According to local reports, the politician was detained after he went to the station to report the attack and the destruction of his property by unknown individuals.
“Our candidate, Seth Panyako, has been arrested and is currently being held at Malava Police Station,” the party said in a statement.
They further accused police of working with attackers, claiming, “Goons under police supervision terrorised him the whole night, injured our agents, and destroyed property. Now they want to intimidate him. We will not allow it.”
Panyako’s arrest comes shortly after he publicly claimed that there was a plot to assassinate him, saying unknown people had been following him.
Speaking to reporters after casting his vote at St. Joseph Lunyu Primary School, he said he believed he was being targeted because pre-election polls suggested he was the favourite to win the Malava parliamentary seat.
“The government candidate was only at 24 percent yesterday. So the only option for them to win is to assassinate me,” he alleged.
Panyako claimed the attack on him and his family involved individuals linked to the state, including what he described as a senior aide to the president.
“The government machinery, together with criminals, attacked my hotel. The aim was to assassinate my wife and me,” he said.
DAP-K party leader Eugene Wamalwa condemned the incident, accusing police of enabling violence and calling for the disqualification of UDA candidate David Ndakwa.
“We want to tell the Inspector General of Police that officers are being used as tools of violence. We are asking the IEBC to disqualify the UDA candidate for attempting to harm his opponent,” Wamalwa said.
Malava is considered a hotly contested constituency, with tensions also seen in other areas, including Mbeere North and Magarini.
A total of six National Assembly seats are being contested in these by-elections: Magarini (Kilifi), Banissa (Mandera), Mbeere North (Embu), Ugunja (Siaya), Kasipul (Homa Bay) and Malava (Kakamega)
Additionally, one Senate seat in Baringo County is also up for election.
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