Kalonzo narrates how he was almost killed after Raila’s 2018 swearing-in
Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has opened up about a terrifying incident in 2018, revealing how he narrowly escaped death on the night of Raila Odinga’s controversial swearing-in as the “People’s President”.
Speaking with a local podcast on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, Kalonzo described the event as a “fiasco”, admitting that he and fellow NASA principals, Moses Wetang’ula and Musalia Mudavadi, were fearful of the consequences.
You might also like
“We did not have a commonality of approach. We were afraid that those people would harm us badly. That night, none of us switched off our phones, and I personally did not leave my house,” Kalonzo recounted.
He revealed that a grenade was hurled at his home that night, leaving his family and staff traumatised.
“Usiku huo ikumbukwe nilitupiwa grenade. I still don’t know why they wanted to kill me. Experts came at around 3:00 am to investigate, but to date, I have never been given a report on who was behind it,” he said.
Also watch:Kalonzo hits out at Murkomen over Jubaland remarks
At the time, Kalonzo’s father was unwell and admitted to Nairobi Hospital, while his wife, who was also sick, suffered shock from the explosion. Nurses at the residence were left screaming in panic as the blast echoed nearby.
“Baba yangu alikuwa mgonjwa; fortunately, I had taken him to Nairobi Hospital. But the grenade landed so close to where my sick wife was, and she suffered a big shock,” Kalonzo narrated.
The Wiper leader lamented that no official report has ever been furnished to him about the attack, leaving the attempted assassination a mystery to this day.
Raila’s swearing-in
Raila took his oath on Tuesday afternoon, January 30, 2018, cheered on by thousands of supporters who had gathered in Nairobi’s Uhuru Park.
“Today is a historic day for the people of Kenya. The people have gathered here in the hundreds of thousands to say enough is enough with the electoral rigging. Today’s step is one step towards doing away with electoral autocracy and establishing proper democracy in our country,” he declared at the time.
The symbolic “swearing in” ceremony took place three months after he boycotted a presidential election re-run.
Against expectations, Odinga’s deputy, Kalonzo Musyoka, was missing at the function. Odinga told his supporters that he would be sworn in later, for reasons that would be explained on a later date.
