MPs pour their anger on 'Standard' over voter registration expose

The Standard and KTN News face criticism from MPs following its voter registration exposé. [File, Courtesy]

Government-allied MPs yesterday turned their fire on The Standard and KTN News following the exposé on alleged irregular registration of Ugandan nationals as Kenyan voters at the Suam border in Trans Nzoia County, with some lawmakers calling for tougher action against the media, including possible restrictions on media freedom and even closure of the Standard Group.

The unprecedented attack on the media came as new details emerged from within the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), with senior officers at the agency disputing its official account of the events surrounding the alleged interception of election-related materials at the border.

The officers, who spoke to The Standard on condition of anonymity, said information attributed to DCI spokesman John Marete denying the incident was a misrepresentation of what happened and alleged that a junior officer had been victimised over suspicions that he leaked information to the newspaper.

In a statement issued on September 28, the DCI said there was “no such officer, no such arrest and no such transfer linked to any electoral investigation” as described in the report.

But multiple senior officers based at DCI headquarters told The Standard that the official account did not reflect what happened and alleged that officers believed to have spoken to the newspaper had subsequently been punished.

At the centre of the dispute is an incident on April 18, 2026, at the Suam border crossing, where DCI officers reportedly intercepted a vehicle and took three men for questioning as election-related materials were allegedly confiscated.

“There is no such officer, no such arrest and no such transfer linked to any electoral investigation as described in the report,” the Directorate said.

However, senior officers who spoke to The Standard pointed to the transfer of Officer Leviticus Mkunga as evidence that the official account requires further scrutiny.

Mkunga, an anti-narcotics officer who had been stationed in the Suam area for barely a year, was transferred to DCI headquarters in Nairobi in the days following the incident, according to the officers.

“The officer was not involved in any election-related operation. He is an anti-narcotics officer. His transfer had nothing to do with performance or operational requirements. It was a punitive measure,” a senior officer at DCI headquarters told The Standard.

Chairperson of the IEBC, Erastus Edung Ethekon, during the launch of the Roadmap to peaceful 2027 General elections. [David Gichuru, Standard]

“They think he leaked information to the press. But the truth is, Mkunga knew nothing about the Standard’s investigation until he was transferred.”

Another source said, “This is an innocent officer being victimised for something he has no idea about. The DCI leadership is trying to cover its tracks by sacrificing a junior officer.”

The Standard can confirm that its sources for the original investigation were not Mkunga but senior officers based at DCI headquarters who were aware of the Suam incident and its aftermath.

The Standard’s investigation, however, also involved interviews with Ugandan nationals who claimed to have acquired Kenyan identity cards and voter cards.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), in a response signed by acting Chief Executive Officer Ruth Kulundu, said no individual, organisation or group had submitted credible evidence to support the allegations.

On the Suam incident, IEBC said that during the Enhanced Continuous Voter Registration exercise conducted between March 30 and April 28, 2026, it maintained a movement schedule for KIEMS kits.

“No KIEMS kit was reported being intercepted or unlawfully moved at Suam Border or elsewhere,” the Commission said.

The political backlash against the investigation unfolded yesterday as MPs allied to the broad-based Government coalition criticised the two Standard Group platforms during the opening of the Fifth Session of the 13th Parliament. Parliament's official records confirm that the National Assembly is currently in the Fifth Session of the 13th Parliament.

The lawmakers accused the media house of what they described as “irresponsible and misleading” reporting and warned that reports questioning the integrity of elections could undermine public confidence in the electoral process and trigger instability.

Endebess MP Robert Pukose, who was adversely mentioned in the report, denied any involvement in voter registration or any scheme to register foreigners as Kenyan voters.

“The report linking me to alleged registration of voters is malicious and untrue. I have no role whatsoever in registration of voters and I've never participated in any scheme to register foreigners as Kenyan voters,” he said.

Pukose called on KTN, The Standard and the wider media fraternity to uphold accuracy, balance and professional journalism, arguing that claims touching on elections, public institutions and individual reputations should be verified before publication or broadcast.

He also urged the Media Council of Kenya and regulators to investigate what he termed a pattern of misreporting by the Standard Group and impose appropriate sanctions where necessary.

His remarks were echoed by Uasin Gishu County MP Gladys Boss, who warned that persistent claims of electoral manipulation could erode confidence in election results.

“If we begin to pass messages across to the country that our electoral system is for us, then what we are doing is that when the election results are announced, the public will not believe it,” Boss said. “And that can cause violence, it can cause chaos and it can cause civil unrest.”

Boss defended Kenya’s electoral safeguards, citing biometric identification, security features on ballot papers and the geo-mapping of electronic voter identification devices.

While acknowledging press freedom as enshrined in the Constitution, Suna East MP Junet Mohamed accused the media of fuelling tensions ahead of the elections.

“There is freedom of press, freedom of expression, but there is no freedom of propagating lies. There is no freedom of propaganda. There is freedom of facts,” Junet said.

He called for Parliament and the Media Council to act against what he described as reporting capable of driving the country towards “chaos and anarchy,” even as he criticised the latter for “sitting back” on the concerns.

“They (Standard Group) have done everything they could in this country for the last two years,” he lamented, blaming one of the shareholders and KANU chairman, Gideon Moi, for being behind the critical coverage.

Kipkelion West MP Kosgei Kiplang’at also accused The Standard of engaging in what he termed “yellow journalism”, while invoking the role of the media during the 1994 Rwandan genocide as a warning against inflammatory reporting.

Homa Bay Town MP Opondo Kaluma called for government intervention, asking the Speaker to summon the minister responsible for broadcasting to Parliament.

He argued that media freedom, like other constitutional rights, was capable of limitation.

“For Standard, we should even ban it completely. We don't need that. We don't need such a media in the country,” Kaluma said.

Tharaka MP Gitonga Murugara, meanwhile, urged Pukose to pursue legal action and seek exemplary damages against the media house.

Pukose also disputed the vehicle identified in the report, saying: “The vehicle shown in the story is maroon, yet my own is a silver-coloured vehicle,” while alleging that the vehicle appeared to have been AI-generated.

“The report linking me to alleged registration of voters is malicious and untrue. I have no role whatsoever in registration of voters and I've never participated in any scheme to register foreigners as Kenyans voters,” he said.

[e-mail]