Day of mayhem: Violence and gunfire shake Ol Kalou by-election

‎Residents protest along the Gilgil–Ol Kalou road at Chokereria after masked, armed men  fired shots into the air and assaulted locals following an incident involving a DCP campaign vehicle. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

As campaigns ahead of the July 16 Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election draw closer to their end; fresh allegations of violence, intimidation, and voter bribery continue to be reported.

Masked gunmen traveling in vehicles with concealed and missing registration plates attacked a Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) campaign vehicle at Pembroke Bridge along the Gilgil–Ol Kalou road yesterday.

A woman witness told The Standard that supporters of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) had just finished a campaign meeting at Muiri Primary School in Ol Kalou, attended by Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri, Lamu Woman Representative Muthoni Marubu, and other leaders.

According to her, as residents were leaving the venue, a DCP campaign truck arrived, and locals boarded it while chanting "one term."

She claimed that shortly after, masked men travelling in a vehicle with missing registration plates left the UDA rally site and pursued the DCP campaign truck along the Gilgil–Ol Kalou road, firing shots into the air.

The DCP vehicle reportedly sped towards Gilgil, chased by one of the Prado vehicles.

The chase ended at Chokereria in Morendat Ward, Gilgil Constituency, Nakuru County, where one of the Prado vehicles reportedly lost control and overturned.

 A resident, JM Kariuki, said locals rushed to rescue the occupants but were shocked when they emerged armed. They suspected the vehicle was carrying money.

"We responded to help them after the accident, but they came out carrying weapons," he claimed.

Another resident, Simon Mburu, alleged that the occupants of the vehicle assaulted him.

"I was among those who responded to rescue the occupants of the vehicle only to find that a man was being beaten. The suspects were armed, and they started attacking us," he said.

The incident prompted residents to block the road. Two additional vehicles—one with concealed registration plates and another Prado without number plates—arrived at the scene.

Masked men reportedly alighted, fired shots into the air to disperse the crowd, and assaulted residents. Some were dressed in civilian clothing, while others were reportedly armed with sticks.

The incident took place as the People's Renaissance Movement (PRM) renewed calls for the disqualification of the UDA candidate over alleged voter bribery.

Saboti MP Caleb Amisi has called for investigations into alleged voter bribery in the Ol Kalou by-election. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

Addressing journalists, Saboti MP Caleb Amisi, who is the party's acting leader, called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairperson, Erastus Ethekon, to enforce election laws and investigate claims of voter bribery.

"Ethekon, you have started well by warning candidates against voter bribery. It is in the public domain that the UDA candidate has been issuing goodies and projects to influence voters," he alleged.

Amisi urged the IEBC to bar the UDA candidate from contesting the by-election if investigations establish violations of the Elections Act and constitutional provisions governing elections.

He said the Ol Kalou by-election would serve as a key test of the IEBC's readiness ahead of the 2027 General Election.

"Conduct the by-election in accordance with the law because it will reflect how the General Election will be managed. If you fail in Ol Kalou, Kenyans will judge how you intend to conduct the General Election," he said.

Amisi further claimed that if the PRM candidate did not win, his party would accept only a DCP victory, alleging that any other outcome would have been influenced by intimidation, voter bribery, and the misuse of government resources.

Campaigning for PRM candidate Timothy Kariuki, Amisi described him as the youngest aspirant in the race and said he had campaigned with limited resources, including travelling on a donkey to reach voters across the expansive constituency.

"You have witnessed a lot of bribery and government goodies being brought to Ol Kalou to influence the outcome of this election. Kariuki is a disadvantaged candidate. The only thing he possesses is a donkey. He has no power to bring road construction equipment, boats, or government goodies," Amisi said.

He added that Kariuki lacked the backing of senior government officials and urged young people in the constituency to support him. Amisi also called on DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua to allow all candidates to campaign freely, saying there was no need to block political rivals from holding rallies.

‎Residents protest along the Gilgil–Ol Kalou road at Chokereria after masked, armed men  fired shots into the air and assaulted locals following an incident involving a DCP campaign vehicle. [Kipsang Joseph, Standard]

Meanwhile, UDA leaders appealed for calm ahead of the July 16 by-election, despite campaign activities having been marred by violence over the past two weeks.

Led by Laikipia East MP Mwangi Kiunjuri and Thika Town MP Alice Ng'ang'a, the leaders said UDA would continue conducting peaceful campaigns as the official campaign period draws to a close.

Speaking while campaigning for UDA candidate  Muchina Nyaga at Muiri village, Kiunjuri called on rival camps to also avoid violence.

"We as the party have always maintained peace. We want our opponents to maintain it in the next few days," he said.

Kiunjuri expressed confidence that the IEBC would conduct a free and fair by-election.

"This is an independent body which we believe in. Let no one cause fear among the residents of Ol Kalou. Let this by-election be a show that the people of Ol Kalou are peaceful," he added.

Ng'ang'a urged residents to turn out in large numbers and vote for Muchina Nyaga, expressing confidence that UDA would win the seat.

For his part, Muchina said his priorities would remain on improving education, healthcare, and roads if elected.

"This was the vision of the people of Ol Kalou. I promise that I will not let you down once elected," he said.