Maraga: Ol Kalou by-election a warning sign for 2027

Former Chief Justice David Maraga has termed Thursday's Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election a preview of the 2027 General Election, warning that conduct during the poll threatens Kenya's democracy.

In a statement on Friday, July 17,  Maraga commended Ol Kalou residents for what he described as courage and resilience in the face of intimidation and alleged electoral manipulation.

"Their ordeal in the face of dictatorship has set the standard for popular resistance to electoral manipulation," he said.

Citing reports by the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), the Elections Observation Group (ELOG) and independent journalists, Maraga said at least eight people were injured during clashes between rival groups.

He condemned what he termed widespread voter intimidation and bribery, alongside attacks on journalists by hooded men he alleged were aimed at concealing evidence of electoral malpractice and human rights violations.

"Masked men in vehicles with concealed number plates reportedly opened fire on members of the public and assaulted residents along the Gilgil to Ol Kalou road. Voters were allegedly offered between Sh200 and over Sh5,000, alongside gas cylinders, mattresses and shoes, in exchange for their constitutional right to vote freely," he said.

Maraga further alleged that some residents were ferried to State House days before the by-election, adding that ELOG had declared the electoral environment compromised.

He explained such actions threaten Kenya's democracy and violate constitutional provisions guaranteeing every Kenyan the right to make political choices free from violence, intimidation, improper influence and corruption.

"This is an assault on the sovereign will of the people, carried out in broad daylight and financed, by all credible accounts, with the resources of the very State that is constitutionally bound to protect the ballot," he said.

"This is not democracy; this is impunity wearing the mask of an election," he added.

The former Chief Justice called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to explain why its earlier warnings ahead of the by-election were not matched by action on the ground.

He also urged the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to swiftly investigate and prosecute anyone found to have engaged in voter bribery, misused public resources or deployed armed individuals to intimidate voters.

Maraga further called for the resignation of Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja over what he termed the continuing disgraceful conduct of police.