NAIROBI, Kenya — Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has accused the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) of victimising officials who allegedly refused to support a disputed election technology tender ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Gachagua made the allegations from the United States, claiming that officials in the IEBC’s Directorate of Supply Chain Management and Directorate of Voter Registration and Electoral Operations were transferred after allegedly declining to give what he described as false testimony in a procurement dispute involving South Korean technology company Miru Systems.
According to Gachagua, the officials were moved after refusing to support procurement specifications that he claims were designed to favour the company.
“The officials have firmly refused to give false testimony to facilitate corruption and electoral fraud. Consequently, the Chairman and his Vice Chair have victimized officials in the two departments and transferred all of them, except the compromised head of department, to far-flung counties and replaced them with cronies,” he said.
The allegations have added a new dimension to an increasingly heated political debate over the IEBC’s procurement processes and preparations for the 2027 elections.
IEBC memo confirms staff transfers
Gachagua’s claims come against the backdrop of an IEBC memo dated August 12, 2026, announcing a series of staff transfers and redesignations involving officials from the two directorates.
According to the memo, the affected officers were required to report to their new stations by August 17, 2026.
Several officials were moved from IEBC headquarters to county offices and other stations as part of the changes.
However, the existence of the transfers does not by itself establish Gachagua’s allegation that they were carried out as retaliation for opposing the Miru Systems procurement.
The reasons for the individual transfers would need to be independently established through IEBC records or statements from the affected officials.
Gachagua links transfers to disputed tender
The former Deputy President alleged that the affected officials had been pressured to take ownership of technical specifications used in the disputed procurement process.
He claimed their refusal to do so led to their removal from the departments handling supply-chain management and voter registration and electoral operations.
Gachagua further alleged that the officials were replaced with individuals he described as being aligned with the commission’s leadership.
He did not provide publicly available documentary evidence in his statement to substantiate the allegations of corruption, electoral fraud or political victimisation.
The claims therefore remain allegations pending an independent investigation or confirmation from the commission and the affected officials.
Miru Systems tender under scrutiny
The dispute centres on the procurement of technology for Kenya’s electoral system ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The issue has already generated political controversy, with opposition figures questioning whether the specifications for the proposed electoral technology were designed around a particular supplier.
Miru Systems, a South Korean company, has featured prominently in the debate.
The IEBC has previously rejected claims that its procurement specifications were tailor-made for the company and maintained that its procurement processes are conducted in accordance with the law.
IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon has also stated that no company, including Miru Systems, had been awarded the tender.
