DAP-K Candidate In The Malava Parliamentary By-Election, Seth Panyako, Has Been Arrested Hours After He Claimed To Have Been Attacked And His Vehicles Vandalised By Unknown Persons. The Party Has Confirmed That Panyako Is Being Held At The Malava Police Station, Where He Went To Report The Incident Before Being Arrested.
Dap-K Condemned His Arrest, Claiming That The People Who Harassed Him All Night Were Doing So In Front Of The Police, And That Attempts To Intimidate Their Candidate Would Not Be Tolerated. Panyako Had Also Previously Issued A Statement About A Plot To Harm Him, Saying That Unknown Persons Had Been Following Him For Some Time.
Addressing Journalists Shortly After Casting His Vote At St Joseph Lunyu Primary School, Panyako Claimed That He Was Being Targeted Because Opinion Polls Showed Him Leading The Way In The Malava Parliamentary Seat. He Said The Attack On Him Was Part Of A Wider Strategy To Prevent Him From Contesting The By-Election.
The Malava By-Election Is Seen As A Major Showdown Between The Opposition And The Government In Kakamega County. Dap-K's Panyako And David Ndakwa Are Vying To Succeed The Seat Vacated By The Death Of Former Mp, Malulu Injendi, Who Died In February This Year.