Gachagua Alleges Planned Chaos to Stall Ol Kalou By-Election

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has claimed that there is a scheme to cause chaos in Ol Kalou to force the postponement of the parliamentary by-election scheduled for July 16, 2026. 

In a statement on Thursday, July 9, Gachagua claimed that goons will be deployed in Ol Kalou to cause violence during the weekend. 

According to Gachagua, the alleged plot is aimed at giving the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) a reason to postpone the by-election. 

“The new plan is to unleash goons this weekend to cause violence and give the IEBC the reason they so desperately need to postpone the election slated for 16th July 2026,” Gachagua claimed. 

The DCP party leader also called out IEBC, questioning the commission’s preparedness to oversee the 2027 General Election. 

“If the IEBC cannot handle a simple by-election, claiming electoral malpractices, how do they plan to convince Kenyans that they can oversee the General Election?” he posed. 

Gachagua maintained that Ol Kalou residents are ready to elect their next MP and urged the IEBC to proceed with the by-election as scheduled.

“The people of Ol Kalou are ready to elect their new Member of Parliament and have a constitutional right to be represented in the National Assembly. 

“The IEBC should conduct the by-election in accordance with the law and ensure there is no violence or ballot stuffing,” he stated. 

Further, Gachagua warned that postponing the poll would undermine public confidence in IEBC’s ability to conduct the 2027 General Election

“If the IEBC has no capacity to conduct a single by-election, then Kenyans will conclude that it cannot conduct the 10th August 2027 General Election, and all the commissioners must resign with immediate effect,” added Gachagua. 

This comes after IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon warned that the Commission could postpone or even cancel the upcoming by-elections in Ol Kalou.

Speaking on Thursday, Ethekon revealed that there have been several violations of the elections code of conduct, including voter bribery.

The IEBC Chairperson also raised an alarm over the goon violence and night campaigns, which he established posed a threat to conducting a peaceful election.

"If, while 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 step of postponing the elections. If that is not enough, we will cancel it altogether," Ethekon stated.