NAIROBI, Kenya – Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has accused the National Police Service (NPS) of deploying officers to influence the outcome of Thursday’s Ol Kalou by-election, claiming the security operation has been politicised.
In a four-page letter dated July 15 and addressed to Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, Gachagua alleged that the deployment of more than 2,000 police officers to the constituency was excessive and intended to intimidate voters and opposition supporters.
The former Deputy President claimed some of the officers, particularly those operating in plain clothes, were acting outside the command of the Inspector General and instead taking instructions from senior government officials.
Gachagua further alleged that the officers had been deployed to disrupt voting, intimidate party agents, interfere with vote counting and tallying, and ultimately influence the declaration of the election results in favour of the ruling party’s candidate.
He urged the Inspector General to ensure all officers assigned to election security are in uniform, display their service numbers and operate in clearly marked police vehicles to enhance transparency during the poll.
The DCP leader also called for the immediate withdrawal of all plainclothes officers from Ol Kalou, arguing that their presence could undermine public confidence in the electoral process.
Lists Alleged Incidents During Campaigns
In the letter, Gachagua cited several incidents that he claimed targeted his party’s campaign activities.
Among them were the alleged assault of DCP officials at the Royal Garden Hotel in Ol Kalou on July 1, an alleged attack on the party’s campaign team by suspected plainclothes police officers on July 9, damage to the party’s campaign sound truck on July 11 and an alleged assassination attempt on East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Kanini Kega on July 13.
He claimed no action had been taken over the reported incidents.
Warning Over Security Deployment
Gachagua argued that with more than 2,000 police officers deployed in the constituency, there should be no election-related violence unless it originated from the security officers themselves.
He further alleged that specialised units, including General Service Unit (GSU) officers and anti-stock theft personnel, had been deployed with instructions to suppress any protests should the election outcome be disputed.
The DCP leader reminded the Inspector General of provisions in the Election Offences Act prohibiting the use of state security agencies to influence voters or support a political candidate.
He concluded by urging the police to remain impartial and uphold law and order during the by-election.
At the time of publication, the National Police Service had not publicly responded to the allegations contained in the letter.
The Ol Kalou by-election is scheduled for Thursday, July 16, with heightened security expected across the constituency.