Nominated Senator Sabina Chege has questioned conflicting accounts surrounding recent incidents of political violence in Nyandarua County, saying Kenyans are being left uncertain about whom to believe as the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election approaches.

Speaking during a television interview on Monday, July 13, 2026, Chege said no political side should justify violence or disruption of meetings, whether in government or the opposition.

“I want to say that we have a generation or a group of politicians who are very enthusiastic and whether it comes from the opposition or the government, I’ll say no one is justified to disrupt or even to engage in goonism as we have seen,” she stated.

She was responding to questions about political intolerance following recent incidents in Nyahururu and Ol Kalou.

Conflicting accounts

Chege said repeated claims and counterclaims over political violence have made it difficult for Kenyans to determine what is true.

“But the saddest bit that I’ve seen in the recent past is that we have people who have even managed their own abductions earlier. We have people who have disrupted their own meetings, and so then there’s a lot of this blending, and at the end of the day you ask yourself, who do I trust? Who is speaking the truth? Is it the government or the so-called government or is it the opposition?”

Her remarks come after Murang’a Governor Irungu Kang’ata said his driver was shot during a Linda Mwananchi rally in Nyahururu on Sunday, July 12, 2026, a claim which police disputed in their official statement.

On Monday, July 13, 2026, East African Legislative Assembly member Kanini Kega said armed men he identified as police officers pursued his convoy after campaign activities in Ol Kalou.

In a video recorded from a house in Oljororok, Kega said the group pointed guns at him and sprayed his vehicle with bullets.

Kirinyaga Woman Representative Njeri Maina later said Kega had been rescued by residents and well-wishers after the incident. She also said she and the Kirinyaga senator were trailed by a Subaru after setting out to assist him.

Questions over Kega incident

Chege also questioned parts of Kega’s account, saying some aspects of the incident raised questions.

“If it were true, there was some shootout today, and police were after him, does it make sense that you can go into a homestead in Oljororok, or you could speed off and go to Nyahururu or go back to your home in Nyeri, or just speed to a police station?”

She said she had not been present during the incidents in Nyahururu and could therefore not speak from personal experience.

“And if I take the example of Nyahururu and what happened I was not there.”

Call for restraint

Chege said political competition should not lead to violence regardless of political affiliation.

She urged leaders to avoid actions that heighten tensions, saying repeated incidents and conflicting narratives risk undermining public confidence.

Her comments come as political campaigns conclude ahead of the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election scheduled for July 16, 2026

Recent incidents in Nyahururu and Ol Kalou have dominated political debate, with leaders from different sides offering varying accounts of what transpired. Chege maintained that political actors have a responsibility to reject goonism and ensure campaigns are conducted peacefully.