OL KALOU, Nyandarua County — Tension has escalated ahead of Thursday’s fiercely contested Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election after Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua accused the government of deploying an overwhelming security presence to manipulate the outcome of the vote, claims the National Police Service has rejected by insisting the operation is solely intended to guarantee peace and electoral security.
The by-election has evolved from a constituency contest into a nationally watched political battle, attracting intense scrutiny from political leaders, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), security agencies and election observers.
In a letter addressed to Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja on Wednesday, Gachagua alleged that the deployment of more than 2,000 security officers was designed to intimidate voters, interfere with polling and ultimately influence the outcome in favour of the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate.
The former Deputy President further claimed that command of the security operation had been taken over by senior government officials rather than the National Police Service leadership.
“IG Kanja, you seem not to get it; the command of the National Police Service has completely gone to Kipchumba Murkomen, Raymond Omollo and rogue politicians allied to William Ruto,” Gachagua alleged.
He questioned why such a large contingent of security personnel had been dispatched to Ol Kalou, arguing that the constituency had remained relatively peaceful throughout the campaign period.
According to Gachagua, incidents reported during the campaigns allegedly involved plain-clothes police officers whom he accused of targeting DCP supporters.
The opposition leader cited several incidents he claimed had not been adequately investigated, including an alleged assault on DCP officials at a hotel on July 1, an alleged pepper spray attack on party supporters on July 9, damage to a campaign vehicle on July 11 and what he described as an attempted assassination of East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) member Kanini Kega on July 13.
Gachagua further alleged that some of the deployed officers had been assigned duties extending beyond maintaining law and order.
“They have been specifically sent to disrupt the commencement of voting in the morning, intimidate and harass agents, interfere with counting and tallying of votes and ensure that the UDA candidate is announced the winner,” he claimed.
He also alleged that officers drawn from the General Service Unit (GSU) and the Anti-Stock Theft Unit had been instructed to use excessive force should protests erupt after the declaration of results.
The DCP leader demanded that all officers assigned election duties remain in full uniform, display their official service numbers and operate in clearly marked police vehicles while calling for the withdrawal of all plain-clothes officers from the constituency.
He warned that any violence witnessed during the by-election would reflect a failure by the police to discharge their constitutional responsibility impartially.
Police Defend Operation
The allegations come barely a day after Inspector General Douglas Kanja announced an extensive security deployment for the high-stakes poll, maintaining that the measures were purely precautionary and intended to safeguard the integrity of the election.
Speaking on Tuesday, Kanja said the National Police Service had deployed more than 1,000 officers across the constituency to ensure residents exercise their democratic rights in a peaceful, secure and orderly environment.
He said every one of the 114 polling stations would have at least two police officers stationed throughout the voting exercise as part of the Service’s standard election security arrangements.
The Inspector General added that additional reinforcements, including four platoons of the General Service Unit (GSU), Anti-Stock Theft Unit officers and four water cannons, had also been deployed to respond to any emerging security threats.
Kanja emphasized that the deployment was not intended to intimidate voters but to protect election materials, polling officials, candidates, party agents and members of the public throughout the electoral process.
IEBC Ready
Meanwhile, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has assured voters that all preparations for Thursday’s by-election have been completed.
The electoral commission said polling materials had been distributed to designated centres and election officials deployed, expressing confidence that the exercise would proceed as scheduled.
The Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election has attracted nationwide political attention after weeks of intense campaigns, allegations of voter bribery, accusations of state interference and growing political rivalry between the Kenya Kwanza administration and the opposition, making Thursday’s vote one of the most closely watched electoral contests since the 2022 General Election.
Political analysts view the outcome as a significant test of the country’s political landscape ahead of the 2027 General Election, with both the government and opposition portraying the contest as a measure of their respective public support.
