In a scene dripping with Biblical irony, a public rally in Nakuru turned chaotic when a snake slithered its way into the VIP tent just as Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka began to question President William Ruto’s integrity on land dealings. The reptile’s perfectly timed entrance sent the crowd into a frenzy, disrupting a high-stakes political attack with a moment of primal fear.

Onyonka, known for his fiery oratory, had just posed a rhetorical dagger to the President: "Your Excellency... how much land can you take?" Before the sentence could land, the serpent appeared, crawling toward the tent erected for the leaders. The symbolism was not lost on the crowd or the Senator. Panic rippled through the gathering as chairs were thrown and attendees scrambled for safety, desperate to ward off the intruder.

"Sent by the President"

Once the adrenaline subsided and order was restored, Onyonka wasted no time in spinning the incident into political gold. "Relax, it is a snake. It wont bite anyone," he assured the terrified crowd, before jokingly claiming the reptile had been "sent by the President" to silence him. It was a moment of quick wit that defused the tension but underscored the high stakes of the rally, which was hosted to popularize Fred Matiang’i’s 2027 presidential bid.

The interruption, however, did not deter the Senator from his main message. He proceeded to deliver a stinging rebuke of the Kenya Kwanza administration, accusing it of normalizing extra-judicial killings and grand corruption. "When you become president dont kill young people for no reason... and please, dont steal our money," Onyonka pleaded, framing the opposition as the moral alternative to a regime he portrayed as rapacious and violent.

• The Nakuru Launchpad: The rally was part of a coordinated rollout for Fred Matiang’i, signaling that the opposition is aggressively targeting the Rift Valley vote.
• The "Mad" Crowd: Onyonka defended the visibly agitated crowd, describing them not as "mad" but as "intelligent people... whose lives have been violated," tapping into the deep economic frustration of the youth.
• A Warning on Hubris: The Senator’s speech was a cautionary tale to power, warning that the accumulation of wealth and land is ultimately futile in the face of public suffering.

Nature’s Intervention?

While the snake was likely just a confused creature wandering into the wrong field, its presence has gifted the opposition a memorable metaphor. In Kenyan politics, where symbolism is everything, the "serpent in the grass" will likely become a recurring motif in Onyonka’s attacks on the government—a representation of the "venom" he claims is poisoning the nation’s governance.

As the rally concluded, the snake had been chased away, but the questions Onyonka raised—about land, corruption, and justice—remained, hanging in the air like a threat.