This archive report was first published on 5 January 2020.
Tangatanga MP Caught on Camera Mercilessly Beating a Villager ¶
January 5, 2020, marked a day of outrage on social media as an undated video of Mumias East MP Benjamin Washiali mercilessly beating a villager surfaced online.
The clip, taken in a sugarcane plantation, shows the National Assembly Majority Chief Whip kicking and punching the defenseless man with the help of his aides.
Twitter users have called on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to arrest and charge Washiali.
One Twitter user, @IkeOjuok, tweeted, 'This is the reason I can authoritatively say, Benjamin Washiali was never elected. He is a product of Cambridge analytical….. Vifaranga vya computer @DCI_Kenya arrest this man ASAP.'
Another user, @RobertAlai, asked the police to question Washiali's bodyguard, who is also a police officer.
When reached for comment, Washiali claimed the clip was taken in 2015 and that the man in question was caught siphoning fuel from a truck in the sugarcane plantation.
However, the clip has sparked widespread outrage, with many calling for Washiali's arrest and charges.
Washiali has a reputation for public violence, having been caught on camera assaulting Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya in 2016.
Ironically, Washiali is among the Tanga Tanga MPs who complained about the violence meted on their members during the Kibra by-elections in November last year.
Many are now hoping that the DCI will investigate the matter and charge Washiali with assault.
The Jubilee Party should also strip him of his role as the Majority Whip because he is bringing the party to disrepute.
