Didmus Barasa was injected with poison & has been flown to South Africa for treatment - Kimani Ichung'wa

A section of Jubilee parliamentarians allied to the Tanga Tanga squad have made new sensational claims regarding the confrontation witnessed in the Kibra by-election last week on Thursday.

A viral moment taken on video as Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa was being roughed up suspected goons has the centrestage of the new allegations after Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung'wa claimed the goons also poisoned his colleague.

Ichung'wa claimed Barasa had been airlifted to a South African treatment for specialized treatment after he was allegedly poisoned as Dagoretti North MP Simba Arati watched.

"ODM used goons to attack our leaders and supporters so as to they do not turn up and vote. Our colleague Didmus Barasa is in South Africa to seek medication after being attacked and injected with a poisonous substance by Simba Arati," Ichung'wa claimed during a press conference held at Parliament Buildings.

It was not immediately clear when Barasa had flown to South Africa given that he had remained in Kibra several hours after the altercation and did not appear to have been ailing.

On Saturday, Barasa said he was considering hiring his own militia after police allegedly failed to reprehend his attackers. He did not make claims of sickness at the time and has remained silent on the matter.

Attempts by Pulse Live Kenya to get a comment from Barasa were futile as calls and text messages were not answered.

Kenyan politicians are notorious for exaggerating illnesses for political mileage.

In 2016, a Kenyan politician spent several weeks in a South African hospital for what many considered a minor injury sustained from a chaotic rally.

A city politician also claimed to have been shot by police during a chaotic rally in Nairobi, when in fact, he had broken his leg after falling off his campaign vehicle.