Democratic Party of Kenya leader Justin Muturi has raised serious concerns about planned voter suppression and electoral malpractice ahead of the November 27 Mbeere North by-election.
In a letter addressed to the IEBC chairperson, the former Attorney General accused certain actors of orchestrating a scheme to disrupt the electoral process in favor of the UDA candidate through the deployment of armed personnel and voter bribery tactics.
Writing on behalf of his party as a participant in the parliamentary contest, Muturi alleged that plans are underway to deploy armed security personnel from Nairobi and Thika to strategic polling stations in areas considered strongholds of opposition candidates.
"We have information that there are already plans to invade selected polling centers in the strongholds of our candidate with the aim of suppressing and disrupting voting on polling day," the letter stated.
The Democratic Party leader further claimed that these forces, allegedly comprising National Government Administration officers and National Police Service personnel in civilian attire, have already been spotted in locations including Kanyuambura, Ishiara, and Siakago towns.
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Muturi also accused UDA operatives of engaging in systematic voter bribery during campaign rallies and meetings, claiming that voters are being told to take photographs of ticked ballot papers in exchange for money.
"This is clearly against the principle of a secret ballot in elections," he protested.
The former Attorney General has called on the electoral commission to take three specific actions: bring attention to these alleged schemes that threaten to deny voters a free and fair election, implement measures to address what he termed ‘evil and illegal machinations,’ and ensure an updated voter register is available on election day to prevent cases of missing or misplaced names.
These allegations add to growing tensions surrounding the by-election, which has already been marked by controversy. Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua recently accused Public Service Cabinet Secretary Geoffrey Ruku and Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire of violating electoral laws by disrupting campaign meetings organized by opposition candidates.
In an interview on November 16, Gachagua demanded that the IEBC take action against the two leaders and UDA candidate Leo Wamuthende for allegedly gatecrashing rival campaign events, which he argued contravenes the electoral code of conduct.
CS Ruku, however, has defended his active participation in the campaigns, stating that the law permits Cabinet Secretaries to engage in political activities and that he is working to ensure Mbeere North's interests are properly represented in Parliament.
The Mbeere North parliamentary seat fell vacant following the appointment of Ruku as a Cabinet Secretary, setting the stage for what has become an increasingly contentious electoral contest.
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