NAIROBI, Kenya- Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has written to Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairperson Erastus Ethekon, raising a raft of allegations over what he describes as a planned scheme to manipulate Thursday’s Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election.
In the letter dated July 14, Gachagua urged the electoral commission to ensure the mini-poll is conducted in a free, fair and transparent manner, warning that the outcome would be viewed by Kenyans as a test of the IEBC’s preparedness to conduct the 2027 General Election.
The DCP leader claimed he had received information about an alleged meeting held on July 13 involving UDA officials, government officers and political leaders, where he said plans were allegedly discussed to interfere with the electoral process in Ol Kalou.
Among the allegations, Gachagua said there were plans to delay the issuance of accreditation badges to DCP and other opposition agents, a move he argued would hinder the inspection of ballot boxes and KIEMS kits before voting begins.
He also alleged there were plans to delay the opening of polling stations in areas perceived to support DCP, issue double ballot papers to some voters, misuse assisted voting provisions, and deploy plainclothes police officers to intimidate voters and party agents during the election.
The former Deputy President further alleged that government officials would interfere with polling stations, while Kenya Power would allegedly orchestrate electricity outages to disrupt vote counting on the evening of July 16.
He urged the IEBC chairperson to publicly confirm that all polling stations would open on time, all accredited agents would be allowed to inspect election materials, and that no armed or plainclothes officers would be permitted inside polling stations.
Raises concerns over voter identification
Gachagua also criticised the commission’s decision to rely on the electronic voter register, arguing that it should continue using the manual register as a backup in line with a 2022 High Court ruling.
He cited a judgment by Justice Mugure Thande requiring presiding officers to use alternative identification mechanisms, including alphanumeric searches and Form 32A, where biometric identification fails.
Police deployment questioned
The DCP leader also questioned the scale of the police deployment for the by-election, alleging that a briefing held at Ruring’u Stadium involved hundreds of officers who, he claimed, would interfere with vote counting and tallying.
He further alleged that additional contingents from the General Service Unit (GSU) and the Anti-Stock Theft Unit (ASTU) would be deployed to suppress protests, while armed police officers would masquerade as party agents inside polling stations.
The allegations come a day after Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja announced that more than 1,000 security officers had been deployed across the constituency to safeguard the electoral process, with at least two officers assigned to each of the 114 polling stations.
Lists previous incidents
In his letter, Gachagua also referred to several incidents that he said had taken place during the campaign period.
These include the alleged assault of DCP officials at a hotel in Ol Kalou on July 1, an alleged attack on the party’s campaign team by plainclothes police officers on July 9, damage to a campaign sound vehicle on July 11, and what he described as an attempted assassination of East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) member Kanini Kega on July 13.
He further alleged that UDA mobilisers were encouraging voters to photograph their marked ballot papers in exchange for bribes and urged the commission to enforce the Elections Offences Act.
Calls Ol Kalou an “acid test”
Gachagua said the Ol Kalou by-election would serve as an “acid test” for the IEBC ahead of the 2027 General Election.
He warned that failure to deliver a credible election would further erode public confidence in the commission and could prompt calls for its leadership to resign.
“The Ol Kalou By-election is an acid test for the IEBC,” he wrote, adding that the commission had “a golden opportunity” to restore public trust by ensuring a transparent electoral process.