IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon
Electoral commission threatens to halt July 16 poll over bribery, violence and code of conduct breaches
By MKT Reporter
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission has warned it may postpone or cancel the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election scheduled for July 16, citing widespread allegations of voter bribery, illegal night campaigns and violence that has already claimed one life.
IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon issued the warning yesterday during the launch of the commission’s 2022 Pre-Election Dispute Resolution Report in Nairobi, saying investigation teams had already been dispatched to the Nyandarua County constituency to probe the allegations. He said a final decision on whether the poll proceeds as planned is expected by Monday, July 13.
“In the event that, working with security officials and other stakeholders, we find that the environment is not conducive enough for us to conduct the by-election in Ol Kalou, we will be left with no choice other than to take the most unfortunate and drastic step of postponing the elections in Ol Kalou. And if that is not enough, we will cancel it altogether,” Ethekon said.
The commission is investigating reports of voter bribery, campaigns conducted beyond legally permitted hours, and the death of one person in Ol Kalou on July 1 under circumstances linked to the heightened political activity in the constituency. Ethekon said candidates found culpable of breaching the Electoral Code of Conduct could face disqualification.
“If we find any culpability or any breaches of the code of conduct, the proper remedies shall apply, up to and including disqualifying some of those candidates,” he said, adding that a postponement would come at significant cost. “Elections are very expensive, and in Ol Kalou alone the commission is spending almost KSh30 million.”
The by-election was triggered by the death of area MP David Njuguna Kiaraho in February. Nine candidates are contesting the seat, with the race widely viewed as a two-horse contest between Sammy Kamau Ngotho of the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) and Samuel Muchina Nyagah of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA). More than 72,000 registered voters are expected to cast ballots in the vote-rich Mt Kenya region.
The commission’s warning follows days of escalating accusations between the ruling UDA and DCP, the party led by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. In a statement, Gachagua alleged that President William Ruto’s administration had spent over KSh1 billion bribing voters and KSh10 billion on development projects in an attempt to sway the outcome, and claimed the government was now pressing the IEBC to postpone the poll after failing to secure victory through spending.
“He is now pushing the IEBC to postpone the election and give him time to splash more money and see whether it will work,” Gachagua said, alleging separately that “goons” would be deployed over the weekend to manufacture violence and provide grounds for postponement. He urged the commission to proceed with the vote as scheduled. “The IEBC should not and must not postpone the Ol Kalou by-election. The people of Ol Kalou are ready to elect their new Member of Parliament.”
Gachagua also accused the commission of selective enforcement, saying it had failed to act against Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries he claimed had campaigned and distributed bribes in violation of electoral rules. He argued that failure to manage a single by-election would raise doubts about the commission’s readiness for the 2027 General Election.
The government has disputed the characterisation of its spending as electoral inducement. Senior Economic Advisor to the President Moses Kuria, who has become a prominent figure at project launches in the constituency, rejected Gachagua’s KSh1 billion figure, saying the true value of ongoing government investment in Ol Kalou exceeds KSh10 billion. “We are spending over KSh10 billion on projects in roads, water, gas, avocado farming and other sectors,” Kuria said, listing initiatives including the tarmacking of the Ithagani–Nyaituga–Ngorika–Kanyiriri road, rehabilitation of more than 150 kilometres of roads, construction of Nyandarua University, distribution of title deeds, and the reintroduction of Kenya Railways passenger services along the Nairobi–Gilgil–Ol Kalou–Nyahururu route.
Among the projects launched in recent days are two fishing boats worth KSh5 million and the distribution of 20,000 subsidised six-kilogram LPG gas cylinders to residents at KSh1,500 each. Energy Principal Secretary Alex Wachira defended the timing of the rollout, saying the initiatives predate the by-election. “We are not bribing voters. These projects started even before MP Kiaraho died,” Wachira said.
Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro has also questioned what he described as an unusually heavy deployment of government resources during the campaign, joining Gachagua in criticising the scale and timing of the project launches.
The Presidency has not publicly responded to Gachagua’s specific allegations of bribery, political interference or plans to sponsor violence, and no evidence has been made public to substantiate the claims. The IEBC has likewise not responded directly to Gachagua’s accusations of selective enforcement against government officials.
The contest has become one of Kenya’s most closely watched political battles ahead of the 2027 General Election, with the opposition seeking to consolidate influence in the Mt Kenya region and the Kenya Kwanza administration campaigning heavily on its development record in the constituency. Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu, speaking at the same event as Ethekon, said the credibility of Kenya’s elections rests on more than the casting of ballots. “Democracy is not sustained by simply casting ballots. It is sustained by the confidence of citizens that every stage of the electoral process is governed by law, administered fairly, and subject to impartial review where disputes arise,” she said.
Whether the Ol Kalou by-election proceeds on July 16 will now depend on the security assessment the IEBC delivers by Monday, and on whether the accusations trading between the ruling party and the opposition translate into a peaceful vote or the postponement both sides claim to fear for different reasons.
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