In a formal letter to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Erastus Ethekon, Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has leveled grave allegations of a state-sponsored plot to rig the upcoming Narok ward by-election.
The letter, dated Tuesday, November 25, details a coordinated plan involving police officers and hired “goons” to disrupt the electoral process in favor of the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate. Gachagua claims the plot is designed to intimidate supporters and agents of his Democratic Conservative Party (DCP) candidate, Douglas Masikonde, and to physically block them from polling stations and the tallying center.
“We have further information that our chief agent and our candidate will be barred from accessing the Tallying Centre… in order to force the Returning Officer to declare the UDA candidate as the winner,” Gachagua stated.
The Deputy President issued a stark warning to the IEBC, urging Chairman Ethekon to publicly guarantee the commission’s neutrality and commitment to a secure electoral environment. He directly linked the commission’s actions to preventing a violent outcome, invoking the history of deadly tribal clashes in Narok following disputed elections.
“Finally, Mr. Chairman, you are a Kenyan, and you have an adequate history of what electoral violence in Narok has always metamorphosed into: an unthinkable bloodshed,” Gachagua wrote, alluding to the 1992 clashes.
These allegations emerge just a day after IEBC Commissioner Alutalala Mukhwana announced the deployment of plain-clothed police officers in “hotly contested areas” to manage rising political temperatures, a move that now appears deeply contentious in light of Gachagua’s claims.
By James Kisoo
