Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has criticised the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) over its warning that it could postpone or cancel the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, accusing the electoral body of acting under political influence after President William Ruto allegedly sensed defeat.
Speaking during a press briefing on Friday, the former Deputy President dismissed the IEBC’s concerns over violence and voter bribery in the constituency, insisting that Ol Kalou has remained largely peaceful.
“The people of Ol Kalou are very peaceful. All the candidates are working together and nobody is fighting each other. The little violence that has been witnessed in Ol Kalou has been done by the State,” Gachagua said.
He questioned why the commission was threatening to halt the poll while, according to him, it had not taken similar action during previous by-elections that experienced violence.
“You never condemned violence in Baringo, you didn’t condemn violence in Kasipul Kabondo, you didn’t condemn violence in Malava. How come you are condemning non-existent violence in Ol Kalou and threatening to postpone an election for non-existent violence?” he posed.
Gachagua also accused the government of deploying Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and other senior State officials to campaign for the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate, while alleging widespread voter bribery using public resources.
“Over the last few weeks, State officers and top government officials are on the Ol Kalou by-election campaign trail and on a bribery spree. Indeed, the government officials are actually more than the voters in Ol Kalou,” he claimed.
The DCP leader further questioned why IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon was warning of cancelling the election instead of taking legal action against individuals allegedly involved in electoral offences.
“Mr. Chairperson, how can you threaten to cancel an election because State officials are bribing people, yet you have the law to stop them? You have not summoned any of them; you have not ordered them out of Ol Kalou. Why do you want to punish the people of Ol Kalou?” he said.
Gachagua went on to allege that President William Ruto was seeking to have the by-election postponed after internal assessments reportedly indicated that the UDA candidate was trailing.
“After all these schemes have failed and the government polling machinery has reported that the UDA party candidate is performing dismally, IEBC gets instructions and, through their chairman, threatens to postpone or cancel the elections,” he claimed.
“You are now being used by William Ruto to postpone the election because he knows he faces a humiliating defeat next week,” he added.
The former Deputy President also named several Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries whom he alleged had actively participated in campaigns in Ol Kalou, including Lands CS Alice Wahome, ICT CS William Kabogo, Roads and Transport CS Davis Chirchir, and Tourism CS Rebecca Miano. He further claimed that State resources were being used to influence voters through development projects, cash handouts and other incentives.
IEBC Defends Warning
Gachagua’s remarks came a day after IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon warned that the commission could postpone or cancel the July 16 Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election if violence, voter bribery and other electoral offences continue.
Speaking during the launch of the 2022 Pre-Election Dispute Resolution Report, Ethekon said the commission had received reports of voter bribery, night campaigns and election-related violence, including an incident that resulted in one death.
“We have witnessed voter bribery, campaigns at night and violence leading to the death of one person,” Ethekon said.
The IEBC chairperson also expressed concern over the alleged involvement of Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries in campaign activities, adding that investigators had been deployed to establish the facts before appropriate action is taken.
“If conditions are not favourable for IEBC to conduct elections there, we will either postpone or cancel the election altogether. We cannot operate under the kind of violence we are seeing,” Ethekon warned.
The Ol Kalou parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of area MP David Kiaraho. Voters are expected to elect a new representative in the by-election scheduled for July 16.
