NAIROBI, Kenya — Governance watchdog VOCAL Africa has raised serious concerns over the conduct of a recent by-election, warning that systemic failures by security agencies, election officials, and senior public officers undermined the integrity of the vote.
On Wednesday, the organisation said its observation teams documented cases of police bias, complicity by local administration officials, and active involvement of senior public officers in partisan campaigns — all of which contravene Kenya’s electoral laws.
VOCAL Africa also criticised what it termed the weak enforcement capacity of the IEBC and the ineffectiveness of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) in dealing with electoral offences.
“These failures, taken together, create an uneven playing field and erode public confidence in electoral outcomes,” the watchdog said.
Key Challenges Identified
- Police neutrality breaches, including selective enforcement of order.
- Local administrators allegedly facilitating campaigns for certain candidates.
- IEBC weaknesses, including slow response to violations and lack of decisive disciplinary action.
- EACC’s low visibility, despite its mandate to police abuse of office during elections.
- Senior public officers actively participating in partisan mobilization, contrary to constitutional requirements.
Recommendations
VOCAL Africa urged the state to enforce existing laws more firmly, proposing that:
- Police officers who act in a biased manner be sanctioned.
- IEBC should disqualify candidates and parties that engage in electoral malpractice, as provided for under the Elections Act.
- Presiding officers must be held personally accountable, including prosecution where necessary.
- EACC should deploy stronger, more visible teams in future elections to curb misuse of public resources.
The organisation said implementing these recommendations is essential to restoring public trust, adding that Kenya risks normalising electoral misconduct unless decisive action is taken.
