Gachagua accuses government of using police to sabotage Ol Kalou by-election

Democracy Party of Kenya (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has accused the government of deploying police officers to interfere with the Ol Kalou by-election, claiming the alleged actions could erode public confidence in the country’s electoral institutions.

Gachagua alleged that the deployment of 2,000 police officers to Ol Kalou was not aimed at maintaining security but was intended to influence the outcome of the mini-poll.

The former Deputy President claimed he had warned Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja before the deployment, saying he had received information that the heavy security presence could be used for political interference.

“When the IG announced that he had deployed 2,000 police officers in Ol Kalou, I wrote to him and told him I had information that there were sinister motives,” Gachagua said.

“I did inform the IG that he has lost control of the National Police Service, and that deployment has been done by Kithure Kindiki and others under the instructions of President William Ruto,” he alleged.

Gachagua further claimed that sections of the police service had been compromised, accusing unnamed government officials of using security officers to disrupt the by-election.

“I informed the IG, Douglas Kanja, that rogue police officers operating under Members of Parliament had been dispatched to Ol Kalou to cause mayhem,” he said.

The DCP leader alleged that three groups had been sent to disrupt the electoral process, claiming one of them was linked to MPs allied to the government.

Gachagua said the voting process had remained peaceful before political actors allegedly changed tactics after realising their candidate was trailing.

“The IG admittedly deployed 16 police officers in every polling station, and voting has been going on very peacefully. Up to now, 54 per cent of the population has cast their votes,” he said.

“The people have been very peaceful, and there has been no problem,” he added.

According to Gachagua, tension started building at around midday after supporters of the ruling party allegedly realised their candidate was losing.

“At around 12 noon, the UDA people realised that they had lost the election, where our candidate is leading with almost 95 per cent of the votes that have been cast. That is when they decided to execute Plan B,” he alleged.

He claimed the alleged plan involved disrupting polling stations, chasing away party agents and election officials, intimidating observers and interfering with ballot papers.

“As we speak, Munyeki Primary School has been attacked, Kuruma Primary School has been attacked, A.C. Primary School, the biggest polling station, has been attacked, Nyakiambi polling station, Gorika and Mumbi,” he claimed.

Gachagua said his party would not accept an outcome declaring the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate the winner, insisting that the DCP candidate had already secured victory.

He challenged the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to announce what he termed “the people’s choice”, warning that failure to do so would further undermine confidence in elections.

“If IEBC refuses to announce our candidate as the winner, then we will have to go back to another election. But even if we repeat this election, the outcome will be the same because the people have already made their decision,” Gachagua said.

He said the events in Ol Kalou could deepen concerns over the credibility of electoral institutions ahead of the 2027 General Election, arguing that Kenyans must be assured that their votes will be protected.

“If institutions charged with protecting the people’s vote are compromised, then Kenyans will lose confidence in elections. The only way to restore trust is to ensure that every vote counts and that the will of the people is respected,” Gachagua said.

The government and the National Police Service had not issued a response to the allegations by the time of publication.