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Patients trapped as goons invade hospital, destroy property in Kasipul
24th September, 2025 06:29 PM
Several patients were trapped inside Berryl’s Hospital in Oyugis Town when unknown assailants invaded and vandalised the facility on Wednesday, November 24, 2025, during the ODM parliamentary seat by-election nominations for Kasipul.
The armed gang, equipped with crude weapons, also damaged several high-end vehicles parked in the hospital compound.
The attackers were allegedly aligned with Boyd Were, one of the aspirants for the ODM ticket.
Berryl’s Hospital, associated with Newton Ogada, another aspirant for the ODM ticket, is known for offering free medical aid to patients.
Also watch: ODM party aspirants claim bias in Kasipul primaries
During the invasion, window panes were shattered, vehicles sustained numerous dents, and their tyres were deflated.
Additionally, several vehicles belonging to Boyd Were’s convoy were also destroyed early in the process.
Election materials distribution
This incident occurred just hours after Were and Ogada clashed at an election materials distribution centre prior to the start of the nomination exercise. Both candidates are seen as frontrunners for the ODM ticket, which includes three other aspirants.
Earlier, Ogada had expressed serious concerns about an alleged plot to rig the election in favour of his main opponent, Boyd Were.
He claimed that they were aware of plans being orchestrated by a high-ranking county official and threatened to reject the results if the process was not conducted fairly.
The start of voting was delayed for several hours due to the late arrival of voting materials. Initially set to begin at 8:00 am, many polling stations still had not received the necessary supplies by 10:00 am.
“We urge the ODM party to conduct fair nominations for the Kasipul parliamentary seat as we agreed. However, based on what I observed on Tuesday and Wednesday, I am uncertain whether they are following proper procedures.”
He emphasised that the voting process should have commenced on time, and the delays could lead to voter apathy among their supporters.
Ogada noted that they had encouraged supporters to arrive early to vote, but many elderly individuals and others who had taken time off work were already leaving due to the delays.
“If they fail to ensure transparent elections, we will confront them after the exercise. No one is withdrawing from this race; this is merely a practice run.”
Ogada indicated that if the process was mishandled, he might seek court intervention or support another candidate in the general elections scheduled for November 27, 2027.
“We have the option of going to court, and there are other candidates running on different tickets. If ODM mishandles this process, we will meet during the campaigns,” he cautioned.
He further alleged that the rigging scheme was well-coordinated and being executed under the influence of a senior county official.
“We want our people to exercise their democratic rights by having the chance to vote for their preferred candidate,” he added.
Ogada stated that he would accept the results if his opponent won fairly, but not otherwise.
In a response, Emilly Awitta, Chairperson of the ODM National Elections Coordinating Committee, confirmed that there had been delays but blamed Ogada and Homa Bay Deputy Governor Oyugi Mgawanga for the disruptions.
She alleged that Ogada had arrived at the election materials distribution centre with a group of individuals who threatened the returning officer and other officials, causing further delays.
“This unnecessary disruption is the reason for the delay, which was supposed to start at 8:00 AM,” she noted.
