Kiambaa MP Njunguna Kawanjiku speaking to the media on July 20, 2026. /SCREENGRAB
Kiambaa MP Njuguna Kawanjiku has denied any involvement in the violence that disrupted voting during the July 16 Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, saying his presence in the constituency was for a legitimate purpose.
Speaking on Citizen TV on Monday, Kawanjiku dismissed suggestions that he had travelled to the area to cause chaos, arguing that he would not have used his personal vehicle if he had intended to engage in any wrongdoing.
"I want to believe that I have some wisdom. In such a scenario, you don't even go with your phone. In such a scenario, you don't even go with your own personal car," he said.
His remarks come after NTV aired an investigative report, #TheOlKalouCrimeScene, which examined the violence that broke out during the by-election and raised questions about the identity of the individuals involved.
The report documented attacks on voters and journalists and stated that some of the masked men who disrupted voting were transported in vehicles without number plates.
It also reported that searches on the ownership of some vehicles with visible registration plates linked them to known individuals and organisations.
The report did not state that investigations had established criminal liability against any individual.
On Monday, a group of Kiambaa residents staged protests calling for investigations into Kawanjiku's presence in Ol Kalou on the day of the election.
The demonstrators carried placards, blew vuvuzelas and said they wanted the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to consider initiating the legal process for his recall.
"We would like to see him summoned to explain the identities of the masked people he was with," one of the protesters said.
Kawanjiku acknowledged that he was in Ol Kalou on the day of the election but maintained that his visit was peaceful and unrelated to the violence.
"In such a scenario, you can even remove the vehicle's number plate, as was reported by NTV. I would have done that if I knew I was going to cause chaos. But because I was genuine in whatever I had gone to do, I went as Kawanjiku, with my car, as one belonging to Kawanjiku," he said.
Violence was reported in parts of Ol Kalou on election day after hooded and armed men travelling in sport utility vehicles disrupted voting at some polling stations, attacked journalists and members of the public, and fired tear gas.
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen condemned the violence and directed security agencies to investigate those responsible as well as any individuals who may have financed the attacks.
The Directorate of Criminal Investigations has since launched investigations into the incidents.
