AfriPulse
Kitutu Chache South MP Anthony Kibagendi has opened up about a scuffle with his Kitutu Chache North counterpart Japheth Nyakundi during a burial in Kisii County last Friday. The two youthful lawmakers clashed over who should lead the country in the 2027 general election – President William Ruto or former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i.
Nyakundi, who serves as the national treasurer of the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA), remains a close ally of President Ruto. Kibagendi, a former staffer in Ruto’s office during his tenure as Deputy President, has since become his loudest critic and a staunch supporter of Dr Matiang’i.
The brawl erupted during the burial of former Kisii Governor James Ongwae’s stepmother at Sensi Ward.
Trouble began when Nyakundi, who hosted the event, invited Kibagendi to speak.
Shoving Match on Stage
Once on the microphone, Kibagendi launched into an attack on the Kenya Kwanza administration. He accused President Ruto of being dishonest. “We were whipped as a community and as a nation to elect a president who is a liar, a president who does not listen to his people,” he said.
Infuriated by the remarks, Nyakundi made a beeline for the podium, hell-bent on taking over the microphone.
Kibagendi resisted, and the two MPs shoved each other on stage. As Nyakundi tried to snatch the microphone from Kibagendi, he was heard warning his colleague against attacking the president.
“Stop that! No, no, no! Don’t bring those things here! You are spoiling it,” Nyakundi shouted.
Their security team promptly moved in, dispersing the brawl before it escalated into a fist fight.
Shortly after leaving the funeral, Kibagendi held a press conference in Kisii Town, declaring that leaders would not allow anyone to insult Dr Matiang’i in the Gusii region again.
“It Wasn’t a Fight”
Speaking to Citizen TV on Monday, Kibagendi confirmed that Nyakundi grew agitated by his anti-Ruto remarks and rushed for the microphone while attempting to shove him off the dais.
“People were chanting one-term and because he is a sycophant of the system, he did not like that I was probably adding fuel to the fire, so he tried to grab the mic from me and tried to throw me off stage,” he explained.
Kibagendi downplayed the incident, describing it as a minor altercation rather than a fight, while mocking Nyakundi’s fitness.
“Because of my fitness I managed to stop him, but of course the media had to call it a fight, it was not a fight. Had we fought, he is not as fit as I am. He may be huge but it’s a lot of fat,” he remarked.
The MP maintained that he bore no responsibility for the fracas, insisting that Nyakundi should have handled the matter with political tolerance instead of confrontation.
“It did not look good. There is absolutely no way I take responsibility because I was saying what I say every day. He was uncomfortable with it and should have let me say what I said and he thought the best way was to grab the mic from me,” he argued.
Source: NairobiWire.com | Read the Full Story…
