NAIROBI, Kenya- A political event in Ol Kalou on Tuesday took an unexpected turn after supporters of the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) candidate Sammy Douglas Waweru Kamau presented him with part of the cash handouts they had earlier received during a government function.
The incident came hours after senior government officials presided over the launch of development projects at Gwa Kiongo Dam in Nyandarua County, where residents received two fishing boats valued at Sh5 million, fingerlings and other government support initiatives.
According to videos and accounts shared online, residents waited for Kamau after the government delegation had left the venue.
They were seen greeting the DCP candidate while holding cash, with some handing him part of the money they had received earlier.
Supporters accompanying the DCP candidate were heard telling him, “there was no need to campaign” extensively in the area because they had already decided to support him.
The government has maintained that the projects being rolled out in Ol Kalou are part of ongoing development programmes and are not linked to the July 16 parliamentary by-election.
Officials said the initiatives, which include roads, electricity, water, markets, LPG distribution and fisheries projects, were planned before the vacancy arose.
The opposition, however, has accused the government of deploying state resources to influence voters ahead of the by-election, allegations the government has denied.
“Reports reaching me from Ol Kalou are that residents are being asked to surrender their identity cards in exchange for a free gas cylinder and a GoK-branded mattress. This is a scheme to deny you the opportunity and right to vote on the by-elections of 16th July 2026,” DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua said.
“Please don’t surrender your Identity Card to anyone.”
Ol Kalou is preparing for a closely watched parliamentary by-election that has attracted nine candidates, with the contest largely seen as a showdown between DCP’s Sammy Douglas Kamau Waweru alias Ngotho and UDA’s Samuel Muchina Nyagah.