Martha Karua: Evidence of opposition attack in Murang’a handed to IPOA
By Steve Ireri, July 31, 2025People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua has revealed that comprehensive evidence concerning the violent crackdown on opposition leaders in Murang’a County has been formally submitted to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA).
The revelation comes in the wake of a brutal confrontation on Sunday, July 27, 2025, where opposition leaders, including Nyandarua Senator John Methu and Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara, were met with live ammunition, teargas, and physical assaults by police officers and suspected hired goons.
The incident sparked widespread condemnation and heightened political tensions.
Karua, speaking during a press briefing on Thursday, July 31, 2025, affirmed that the documentation detailing the assaults, injuries, and police misconduct has been handed over to IPOA for thorough investigation.
“The united opposition has presented irrefutable evidence to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) regarding the criminal assault and assassination attempts on our leaders. We expect IPOA to treat this evidence with the grave seriousness it deserves. Any attempt to unlawfully take the life of a human being, regardless of their race, gender, ethnicity, or rank, must be condemned in the strongest terms possible,” she said.
She insisted that IPOA must hold accountable the commanding officer who led the assault, as well as Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, whom she said must face responsibility for the actions of their subordinates.
“We expect IPOA to hold accountable the commanding officer who led this assault. The Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanju, and the Interior Cabinet Secretary, Kipchumba Murkomen, must also be held responsible. The buck stops with them,” she added.
She further addressed President William Ruto, reminding him that as an employee of the people, he cannot simply declare “enough is enough” without facing consequences.
“We can no longer tolerate these brazen criminal acts and the subversion of the rule of law simply because of orders from above. We are saying enough is enough. We have heard President Ruto say ‘enough is enough,’ but we remind him that as an employee, he cannot tell his employer that. He can only pack his bags and leave. We are his employers, and we are telling him enough is enough”.
Karua also condemned what she described as the creation of a “militia” under the guise of protecting peace but which instead threatens Kenya’s hard-earned stability and tranquillity.
“He cannot create a militia in Kenya to destroy the peace and tranquillity that we have been having.”
Opposition’s attack
The attack followed a peaceful church service at AIPCA Christ the King Church in Kahuro, Kigumo Constituency, where opposition figures gathered before planning public rallies.
However, police imposed a blockade along a critical road, preventing the movement of the leaders. Video footage circulated online shows a tense standoff between the opposition leaders and senior police officials, which escalated when teargas canisters were deployed, forcing the leaders to flee on foot. Senator Methu later revealed that live bullets were fired at his vehicle during the chaos.
Naivasha MP Jayne Kihara recounted a harrowing experience during the clashes, disclosing that her bodyguard sustained a serious head injury from a stone and required urgent medical attention.
“My bodyguard has been hit with a stone on the head. I even came for this interview as I took him to the hospital. I have even paid the hospital bill for him just from here while arriving,” she said.
She further disclosed that other politicians, including former MP Munyaka and his driver, were also hospitalised due to injuries sustained.
Kihara accused a local individual, described as a ‘mukurino,’ of orchestrating the attacks and revealed that calls from this person’s phone linked a senior Murang’a politician to the violent crackdown.
“I want to be honest that things were really bad and we were beaten badly. Fortunately, I was not hit, nor was the car behind me. The car that came from behind me was the one that was badly hit,” Kihara recounted.