Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati has urged Bungoma County residents to maintain peace, following the protests in Bungoma town on Friday morning that led to the death of one protestor. Addressing the press, Wangamati confirmed the incident and called for calm, “The young man who was shot is a known resident of the County,” he said, adding that contrary to remarks made by Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka, the affected people are residents of the County.
The Governor urged police officers to be careful when dealing with protestors and condemned the excessive use of force by police, “I told the County Commissioner that the force police officers are using should be appropriate, they should ensure they don’t use excessive force to sort out issues,” he said.
He insisted that no one should be discouraged from living and conducting business in Bungoma town, “In the last two or three days there were leaflets being thrown around targeting some ethnic groups or tribes, but we urge everyone to come to Bungoma. We want investors to come and do business in Bungoma town,” he said, “Everyone who is willing to invest in this County should do so because that’s the only way we can eradicate poverty and deal with the issue of unemployment.”
He further thanked NASA supporters in the County for not only staying away from polling stations but also maintaining peace on the election day.