The killing of Kasipul MP Charles Ong’ondo Were in April continues to hang heavy over the constituency, months later, as fresh clashes erupted this week during the ODM party primaries.
Kasipul, once carved out of the larger Kasipul Kabondo constituency in 2012, has become synonymous with bloody contests and bitter rivalries. Residents here speak of elections not as a democratic exercise, but as a season of fear.
The violence during Tuesday’s primaries—between supporters of Boyd Were and Newton Ogada—revived painful memories of past tragedies. Cars were vandalized, traders counted losses, and residents once again questioned whether their voices could ever be heard without blood being spilled.
This is not the first time Kasipul has been thrust into the national spotlight for the wrong reasons. In 2005, the constituency lost MP Peter Owidi while still in office. Two decades later, Charles Ong’ondo Were was gunned down in Nairobi. Both deaths, though separated by years, reflect the volatility that has stalked Kasipul’s politics.
Elders and community leaders have repeatedly warned that the culture of political thuggery risks tearing apart the very fabric of Luo Nyanza. Luo Council of Elders chairman Ker Odungi Randa, who has been a consistent voice against the bloodshed, could hardly hide his disappointment after this week’s chaos.
“In any contest, there must be winners and losers,” he said. “But defeat should not translate into hostility. Leaders must rise above the temptation to use violence as a weapon.”
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has also issued stern warnings, insisting that no politician will be allowed to sponsor gangs or disrupt the upcoming by-election scheduled for November 27.
Yet on the ground, the signs are worrying. Videos circulating online have captured local politicians openly threatening to unleash violence. Funerals and public rallies, instead of being spaces for dialogue, often degenerate into battlefields between rival camps.
The stakes in Kasipul are high. With ODM keen to retain its grip and aspirants unwilling to cede ground, residents fear that the cycle of intimidation and bloodshed could easily flare again.
For many locals, the question is not who wins the by-election, but whether Kasipul can finally shake off its reputation as the graveyard of political ambitions.
