Gachagua accuses IEBC of bias ahead of Ol Kalou by-election

Gachagua wants IEBC to commit to conducting the Ol Kalou by-election in a free, fair, and credible manner.

Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has accused the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) of bias and demanded assurances that Thursday's Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election will be conducted in a free, fair and credible manner.

In a letter addressed to IEBC Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon, Gachagua claimed the commission had lost public confidence and alleged it had selectively enforced electoral laws in favour of the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

He cited previous by-elections, including those in Malava, Mbeere North and Narok Town Ward, claiming the commission failed to act against alleged voter bribery, intimidation and violence involving politicians allied to the government.

Gachagua also questioned the commission's handling of disciplinary action against Kipipiri MP Wanjiku Muhia, arguing she had been unfairly treated and denied due process.

The former Deputy President further alleged that senior government officials, including Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and other state officers, had actively campaigned for the UDA candidate in Ol Kalou without attracting sanctions from the electoral commission.

He raised concerns about the integrity of the July 16 poll, claiming he had received information from a meeting allegedly held on July 13 that involved UDA officials, government officers and political leaders.

According to Gachagua, discussions at the meeting allegedly centred on plans to interfere with the electoral process.

Among the allegations, he claimed there were plans to delay accreditation of DCP agents, postpone the opening of polling stations in opposition strongholds, issue double ballot papers to UDA supporters, permit voter bribery, deploy plain-clothes police officers to intimidate voters and agents, and interfere with vote counting through planned power outages.

He also alleged that police officers in civilian clothing would be deployed inside polling stations and that additional security personnel would be used to suppress opposition supporters and disrupt vote tallying.

At the same time, Gachagua questioned the commission's decision to rely solely on the electronic voter register, arguing that a manual register should remain available as a backup in line with a 2022 High Court ruling.

The DCP leader urged the IEBC to publicly confirm that all party agents would receive accreditation on time, polling stations would open as scheduled, ballot papers would be properly scrutinised, security agencies would remain impartial and all legal safeguards governing voting and vote counting would be observed.

He also accused police of failing to investigate several alleged incidents targeting DCP supporters and campaign teams in Ol Kalou, including assaults, destruction of campaign equipment and an alleged attempted assassination of former East African Legislative Assembly member Kanini Kega.

He warned that any irregularities in the by-election could undermine public confidence in the IEBC's ability to conduct the 2027 General Election.

"The Ol Kalou by-election is an acid test for the IEBC," Gachagua said, urging the commission to use the poll to restore public trust in Kenya's electoral process.