Of fingerprint harvesting and ballot stuffing: Rigging claims cast shadow over next year's election

UDA Party Secretary-General Hassan Omar. [Benard Orwongo, Standard]

With the 2027 General Election just 11 months away, a series of controversial statements by politicians aligned with President William Ruto's administration is raising questions over the credibility of the vote and the ability of electoral institutions to guarantee a free and fair election.

The statements, including claims that votes could be “added” and that fingerprints of dead people could be used to cast ballots, have intensified concerns over the integrity of the electoral process ahead of what is expected to be a closely contested election.

The latest remarks from United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General Hassan Omar suggested that fingerprints of people who die shortly before polling day could be harvested and used on biometric voter registration kits to secure President Ruto's re-election.

Omar made the remarks in Mombasa on Friday, September 11, where he also declared his intention to contest the Mombasa governorship.

“We will harvest fingerprints of individuals who die close to the election day before they are buried and use them on the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) kits to secure victory since the coming General Election is a do-or-die battle and will ensure that President Ruto secures re-election,” Omar said.

His remarks came against the backdrop of similar controversial statements by politicians aligned with the Kenya Kwanza administration over the past year, raising concerns about the language being used around the 2027 contest.

In July last year, Wajir Woman Representative Fatuma Abdi Jehow said leaders from North Eastern were prepared to ensure President Ruto served two terms, even if they did not have enough votes.

“Sisi kama wabunge wa North Eastern, nikiongea kutoka Wajir, sisi maneno yetu ni fupi tu, two terms. Sisi tunangoja debe iletwe, hata kama hatutakuwa na votes tutamwibia...hio si siri,” Jehow said.

Her remarks triggered criticism, with questions raised over the integrity of the electoral process and the possibility of politicians normalising electoral manipulation ahead of the vote.

Tiaty MP William Kamket also made remarks interpreted as suggesting that votes could be added if the numbers were insufficient to secure Ruto's re-election.

Speaking in August last year, Kamket referred to comments by Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi on filling the ballot box to guarantee the President's victory.

“Oscar and I say harsh things. He says if the ballot box does not fill up, we will add. I say it in another way, but we say the same thing: if the votes are not enough, we will ensure that they are enough, whatever comes may,” Kamket said.

Sudi had earlier told supporters not to worry about the 2027 election because Ruto would win.

“Those shouting that Ruto must go should wait for the General Election, where we are going to win. No President in Kenya has ever served for one term. At the moment, let us focus on serving Kenyans. You should know that when it comes to the General Election, he is going to win no matter what,” Sudi said.

The comments have raised questions about whether some political actors are already preparing their supporters for the outcome of the 2027 election.

Kakamega Deputy Governor Ayub Savula has also made statements that have raised questions about the independence of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

Savula, speaking in May this year, suggested that the government had significant influence over the commission and said President Ruto's re-election was guaranteed.

“It should be known that it is we in the government, paying IEBC and the Commissioners. Ruto is in charge of the budget that supports IEBC. Anybody thinking that Ruto can lose the 2027 General Election might not be in their right senses,” Savula said.

He cited Uganda and Tanzania, where Presidents Yoweri Museveni and Samia Suluhu Hassan secured fresh terms, and suggested Ruto would win by an even larger margin.

The comments have brought renewed scrutiny to the independence of IEBC, which is constitutionally mandated to conduct and supervise elections independently.

IEBC has sought to reassure Kenyans that preparations for the 2027 election are being conducted transparently.

Commissioner Alutalala Mukhwana told a National Stakeholders Conference on Peaceful 2027 General Elections in Nairobi, organised by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), that the commission was doing everything possible to deliver a credible election.

Mukhwana said security officers deployed to polling centres would be trained on electoral guidelines and that IEBC would comply with all legal requirements.

“We would like to tell Kenyans that there is nothing that IEBC is cooking behind the scenes as far as the 2027 General Election is concerned. Everything we are doing is open and as per the law as far as the conduct of the election is concerned. We are out to ensure we deliver as per our mandate,” he said.

Political risk analyst Dismas Mokua said statements suggesting that the will of voters would not determine the outcome posed a threat to national stability.

“Politicians, political actors and political parties suggesting that the individual and cumulative will of voters will not count are threats to national security and national stability,” Mokua said.

Mokua said IEBC should call out politicians who undermine confidence in the commission by alleging that they will rig the election.

He warned that candidates who lose a credible election could use such statements to mobilise supporters against the results.

“The candidates who do not win even after IEBC has delivered free, fair and credible elections will hold on to such a statement to engage in demonstrations. The commission should engage in strategic stakeholders' communication to reassure all and sundry of election credibility,” he said.

Mokua said IEBC had demonstrated capacity to deliver credible elections but needed to protect itself against misinformation and disinformation.

He also warned that some of the statements could amount to voter suppression by creating the perception that voting would not change the outcome.

“Party leaders have a constitutional and fiduciary responsibility to call out their members who make Kenyans cast aspersions on IEBC since this creates unnecessary suspicions which is a recipe for chaos,” he said.

On the opposition side, Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya has warned that their supporters under Linda Mwananchi would guard their votes and could resort to political mobilisation if they believed the election had been stolen.

“Nobody should lie to Kenyans that their votes will be stolen. We are going to vote and guard our votes. In the event the votes are stolen, we will not go to the Supreme Court but we will instead march to State House and install our leader in power,” Natembeya said.

The remarks have raised concerns about the possibility of political actors rejecting established constitutional mechanisms for resolving electoral disputes.

Supreme Court Judge Mohammed Warsame, who chairs the Judiciary Election Committee, warned that selective enforcement of laws governing hate speech and electoral violence could undermine public confidence in the electoral system.

“The police should be impartial in exercising their roles; the media should inform rather than inflame violence; the NCIC should exercise the preventive role against hate speech. It should also be known that the courts always determine what is presented to the judges,” he said.

NCIC Chairman Kepha Omae said the commission would exercise its mandate against political incitement and had summoned several political leaders accused of hate speech to explain themselves before action was recommended.

Omae urged politicians to act responsibly and warned against using young people as instruments of political violence.

“We would also like to urge the media not to give priority to matters that may cause incitement even as we take action against politicians who make hate speech which might cause divisions among Kenyans as the country gears up to the next General Election,” he said.

Deputy Inspector General of Police Gilbert Masengeli said the National Police Service would remain impartial and deal with both sponsors and participants in political violence.

Masengeli said police were focusing on areas considered potential hotspots to prevent loss of life and destruction of property during the election period.

“The police will go for both sponsors and participants in political violence since we cannot allow political competition to be turned into a theatre of death and destruction since we have only one country, Kenya,” he said.

The succession of statements has placed the credibility of the 2027 electoral process at the centre of political debate, with IEBC and other institutions facing pressure to reassure voters that the outcome will be determined by the ballot.