Gachagua alleges UDA plot to rig Ol Kalou by-election, demands IEBC action

Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has written to Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon, alleging that a meeting held in Gilgil on the evening of July 13 was used to plan electoral malpractice ahead of the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election slated for July 16, 2026.

In an eight-page letter dated July 14, Gachagua claims that select United Democratic Alliance (UDA) officials, government officers and political leaders met to discuss ways of influencing the outcome of the by-election, urging the electoral commission to publicly respond to the allegations.

"It is for this reason that I write to bring to your attention of the meeting of 13th July 2026 at a venue, a time, and participants close to Mr. William Ruto, you are well aware of and its proceedings and reports as such," Gachagua wrote.

Among the claims he raised in the letter is that IEBC would delay issuing accreditation badges to DCP agents, thereby limiting their ability to inspect ballot boxes and KIEMS kits before polling begins.

"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 stated.

The former Deputy President asked the IEBC chair to "confirm that all badges for agents will be issued by the close of business as per the law."

He also alleged that there were plans to delay the opening of polling stations in areas perceived to support DCP.

"It was further reported that Presiding Officers in DCP Party strongholds would delay opening of polling stations at 6.00am ostensibly to push voting and counting of votes late into the night to give room for mischief under the cover of darkness," he claimed, calling on the commission to assure voters that polling stations would open at 6am and counting would begin immediately after polls close.

Gachagua alleged that the meeting discussed allowing some voters to cast multiple ballots and permitting assisted voting outside the law.

"It was reported that, with your concurrence, the presiding officers will, on 16th July, 2026 allow UDA voters to be issued with double (2) ballots," he claimed, while also alleging that "all bribed voters will be allowed to be assisted to vote."

He urged the IEBC to allow party agents to scrutinise ballot issuance and strictly adhere to electoral regulations governing assisted voting.

The DCP leader also raised concerns over security, alleging that plainclothes police officers would interfere with polling and vote counting.

"The meeting was also informed that in your concurrence, the plain clothes officers would cause mayhem to build a voter suppression in selected polling stations," he wrote, before asking the IEBC chair to confirm that "no plain clothes police officers will be allowed into polling stations."

In another allegation, Gachagua claimed there were plans to engineer power outages to disrupt the tallying process.

"It was further reported that, it is within your knowledge that Kenya Power would cause a deliberate power outage and disruptions in Ol Kalou to allow the police goons to interfere with and disrupt counting of votes," Gachagua stated.

The opposition stalwart also questioned the commission's position on the use of electronic and manual voter registers, citing a 2022 High Court ruling that directed IEBC to use the manual register as a complementary mechanism where biometric identification fails.

He alleged that police officers would be deployed inside polling stations to interfere with tallying and that armed officers disguised as party agents would be stationed at voting centres. The letter also claims opposition supporters risk arbitrary arrests before polling day.

Beyond the alleged Gilgil meeting, Gachagua accused the IEBC of failing to address what he described as election-related violence and intimidation during the Ol Kalou campaigns, including attacks on DCP officials and campaign teams.

He also alleged that UDA mobilisers were asking voters to photograph marked ballot papers in exchange for bribes.

The DCP leader warned that the conduct of the Ol Kalou by-election would shape public confidence in the electoral commission ahead of the 2027 General Election.

"The Ol Kalou By-election is an acid test for the IEBC; Kenyans will make the final conclusion that you will either bungle the 2027 General Election and start preparing to reject the election outcome," he wrote, adding: "Might you mess Ol Kalou, Kenyans will demand that you resign."