Councillor misses date with beer bottle

By George Olwenya

Councillors often use furniture to sort out their differences, but in Siaya the weapons of choice are different.

A Siaya County Council civic leader narrowly escaped injury after a flying bottle missed him by a whisker.

Councillor Leonard Oriaro, a vocal anti-corruption crusader, marshalled his athletic prowess and fled.

The incident took place at a social venue in Wagai, Gem constituency, on Tuesday evening where leaders from Alego/Usonga constituency had converged following controversial ODM elections.

Mr Oriaro said he arrived at the venue and had barely exchanged pleasantries before a colleague, who was shouting expletives, hurled a beer bottle at him.

"I took off fast, shouting for help. Some youths chased me claiming I was a PNU sympathiser but residents came out to protect me," he said.

Oriaro was driven to safety by a friend and later reported the incident at the Siaya Police Station, where he said his attacker had accused him of failing to ‘toe the line’.