Treat allegations of plot to rig elections with the seriousness they deserve

Voting at Kibra constituency.[File, Standard]

On several occasions, Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya has accused the government of planning to meddle in the 2027 General Election. Mr Natembeya has been alleging that Kenyan government officials have been issuing Kenyan identity cards to Ugandans and also registering them as voters.

Unfortunately, his allegations are usually treated as mere political talk and as such, no one including the security agencies, has bothered to interrogate them.

Wafula Buke, a campaigner for democratic rights from Mt. Elgon has also made similar claims; that Ugandan citizens are being given Kenyan IDs inside Uganda. Again, there have been no efforts to confirm the allegation.

But now, an investigation by The Standard has proven that something ugly could indeed be silently brewing.

The Standard has managed to interview several Ugandans who are currently in possession of Kenyan IDs and who claim to have been registered as voters.

“It’s very easy. At the same spot they register your Kenyan ID, you move a few desks, and you are registered as a Kenyan voter. Everyone has it; we are only waiting for next year,” one of them said.

“I acquired my Kenyan ID within two weeks of application. I know of some who have acquired theirs within a week. I want to vote next year,” said another Ugandan.

Mr Buke estimates 100,000 Ugandans could have been handed Kenyan IDs and registered as voters in Kapchorwa, Bukwa, and Bukwo in Uganda.

Although Interior Cabinet Secretary Murkomen rightly says that Kenyans in Uganda have a right to get IDs and other documents, that should not be done under the cover of darkness as has clearly been happening, as even the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has said it is unaware that such an exercise has been taking place.

From the foregoing, it is evident that something fishy is happening. Someone is determined to subvert the will of Kenyan voters by enlisting the help of foreign citizens. That must not be allowed to happen.

This is not the time for the IEBC to defend itself and deny the existence of the alleged scheme. If its hands are clean, it should launch investigations, independently and together with security agencies, to establish the veracity of these allegations.

If it doesn't do this, it might wake up too late to find the voter register messed up and its reputation in tatters. No, the IEBC cannot afford to assume that all is well amidst these damning allegations.

Everything must be done to bring to book those illegally issuing Kenyan IDs and voters’ cards to Ugandans and other nationals, as has been alleged before. No non-Kenyan should be allowed to vote in our elections for unpopular leader(s) out to hang onto power by all means. Any attempt to sabotage the will of the people at the ward, constituency, county, or national level must be confronted and defeated. Allowing foreigners to meddle in our elections is a recipe for chaos.