The Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) has accused the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) of failing to guarantee a free and fair Olkalou Constituency by-election, alleging an elaborate plan involving state officials, security agencies and electoral officers to manipulate Thursday’s vote.
In a letter addressed to IEBC Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethkon on Tuesday, DCP Party Leader Rigathi Gachagua claimed the commission risks undermining public confidence in the electoral process unless it addresses what he described as credible reports of planned voter intimidation, bribery and vote rigging.
“The Olkalou By-election is an acid test for the IEBC; Kenyans will make the final conclusion that you will either bungle the 2027 General Election,” Gachagua said.
He warned that the electoral commission’s handling of the mini-poll would determine whether Kenyans regain confidence in the agency ahead of the 2027 General Election.
DCP accused the commission of political bias, claiming it had remained silent over alleged election irregularities witnessed during previous by-elections, including Malava, Mbeere North and Narok Town Ward, while allegedly taking action against opposition figures.
The party further alleged that several Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and senior government officials had openly campaigned for the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate in Olkalou without attracting sanctions from the electoral commission.
Among those named were Lands Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome, ICT Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo, Roads Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir, Tourism Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Miano, Lands Principal Secretary Nixon Korir, Defence Principal Secretary Patrick Mariru and Roads Principal Secretary Joseph Mbugua, among others.
Gachagua also claimed a meeting allegedly held in Gilgil on July 13 discussed plans to compromise the integrity of the by-election.
According to the DCP leader, the alleged scheme includes delaying accreditation of opposition agents, late opening of polling stations in opposition strongholds, issuing double ballot papers to UDA supporters, using plain-clothes police officers to intimidate voters and interfere with vote counting, and engineering power outages to disrupt tallying.
“It was reported that the party, UDA, was in touch with you and your commission and have agreed to delay issuance of badges for the DCP and entire opposition candidates,” Gachagua alleged, while demanding assurances that all party agents would receive accreditation before polling day.
He also questioned the commission’s decision to rely solely on the electronic voter register, citing a 2022 High Court ruling that requires the manual register to be used as a complementary mechanism where biometric identification fails.
“Today, true to the proceedings of the meeting, you have announced that only the electronic register will be used,” he claimed.
The DCP leader further alleged that hundreds of additional police officers had been deployed to Olkalou with the intention of intimidating voters and suppressing opposition supporters.
He claimed there were plans to arrest young people perceived to support the opposition ahead of polling day and alleged that armed officers disguised as party agents would be stationed at polling centres.
The party also cited several incidents it said targeted its supporters during the campaign period, including alleged assaults on party officials, pepper-spraying of campaign teams, destruction of campaign equipment and what it described as an attempted assassination of East African Legislative Assembly MP Kanini Kega.
Gachagua urged the IEBC to publicly guarantee that polling stations would open on time, party agents would be allowed to inspect ballot boxes and KIEMS kits, only eligible assisted voters would receive assistance in accordance with electoral laws, and security agencies would remain neutral throughout the exercise.
“If you pronounce yourself on the above matters and deter their occurrence, that is your golden opportunity to win the trust of the people,” he said.
The DCP also warned that any failure to conduct a credible election could further erode public trust in the commission ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The IEBC had not responded to the allegations at the time of publication. Shahidi Digital could also not independently verify the claims contained in DCP’s letter.
