Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi has rejected Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen’s assertion that suspects linked to his recent assault fled the country, insisting that those captured in CCTV footage are still within Kisumu and should be produced to face justice.
Speaking during a live interview on Citizen TV on Wednesday night, Osotsi directly responded to Murkomen’s earlier statement before Parliament’s Security Committee, where the Interior CS said some of the suspects involved in the April 8 attack had crossed into a neighbouring country after their images were circulated by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
The interview, which also featured Kisumu Senator Tom Ojienda in attendance, turned into a detailed exchange over the status and identity of the suspects, with Osotsi maintaining that the individuals seen in the footage are known locally and remain within reach of Kenyan authorities.
Osotsi questioned the government’s claim that the suspects had fled, arguing that the narrative did not align with what he described as ground-level realities in Kisumu.
He further suggested that some of the youths captured in the CCTV footage are politically connected individuals who are still accessible.
“Senator Osotsi: Senator Ojienda agrees with me that some of the youths captured in the CCTV are shared goons. He has also told me that he didn’t send them but agrees that some of those youth work for him therefore he needs produce them because Murkomen has lied that they are out of the country. The truth of the matter is that they are in Kisumu,” Osotsi said during the interview.
His remarks directly challenged Murkomen’s position that security agencies were pursuing suspects who had reportedly fled after their images were made public.
The Interior CS had told lawmakers that while some suspects had surrendered, others were believed to have escaped across the border, prompting cross-border coordination efforts.
Osotsi, however, maintained that there was no justification for claims of escape, insisting that the suspects remain in Kisumu and should be arrested without delay.
He called for accountability from those linked to the group seen in the widely circulated CCTV footage showing him being attacked.
The presence of Senator Tom Ojienda during the interview added political weight to the discussion, as the exchange touched on allegations of political mobilisation of youths.
Osotsi referenced Ojienda’s position, suggesting that even those linked to the individuals should assist investigators in locating them.
The April 8 incident, which has drawn national attention, saw Osotsi attacked by a group of youths who reportedly posed as his supporters before turning violent.
The assault, captured on CCTV, showed the senator being overpowered and beaten before being rescued and later treated for injuries.
Three suspects have since been arrested and charged in connection with the attack, and they have denied the charges in court. Investigations into the wider network behind the incident are ongoing.
The disagreement between Osotsi and Murkomen now adds a political dimension to the case, with conflicting accounts emerging over whether the remaining suspects are outside the country or still within Kisumu.