Bomet County’s Ndaraweta Catholic Parish priest Ambrose Tonui has condemned the political violence witnessed in Kuresoi North Constituency, Nakuru County, on Friday, where supporters of Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika clashed with those of Kuresoi North MP Alfred Mutai during an empowerment meeting.

Speaking on the incident, Rev. Tonui termed the violence unfortunate and urged leaders to resolve their differences through dialogue instead of dragging ordinary citizens into political disputes.

The cleric said political leaders should shoulder the blame, arguing that the two leaders had enough time to harmonise their differences before attending the empowerment forum.

Rev. Tonui questioned the unity within the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), noting that all the leaders involved belong to the same party.

“If UDA leaders are not united, how sure are we that we are heading in the right direction as a community?” he posed.

Main aim of the event

He also questioned whether the meeting was genuinely intended to empower residents or if it was a political gathering aimed at mobilising support ahead of the 2027 general election.

The priest noted that Nakuru is a cosmopolitan county whose residents have lived peacefully for years following previous episodes of violence that claimed many lives.

He urged leaders to exercise restraint and avoid taking the county back to what he described as the “dark days” of conflict.

Rev. Tonui further said that if Governor Susan Kihika was serious about empowering residents, such initiatives should have begun soon after she assumed office in 2022.

Better ways to solve issue

The senior cleric also appealed to Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi to moderate his public remarks, saying he should not have engaged MP Alfred Mutai publicly but instead sought a better way of resolving the differences.

He described Sudi as one of the country’s senior politicians and urged him to intervene and ensure that the youths arrested following the clashes are released.

“I would like to appeal to Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi to moderate his public remarks. He should not have engaged MP Alfred Mutai publicly but instead sought a better way of resolving their differences, ” Tonui said.