Former Deputy President and Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has accused the government of deploying security officers to interfere with the upcoming Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, alleging that the police are being used to intimidate voters and opposition supporters.
In a written statement addressed to Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja on July 15, Gachagua claimed that the National Police Service had lost its independence, accusing senior Interior Ministry officials of directing security operations for political purposes.
He argued that the security situation in Ol Kalou had been peaceful and that any incidents witnessed during the campaign period had allegedly involved plain-clothes police officers.
Claims of Intimidation During Campaigns
Gachagua listed a series of incidents that he said targeted DCP supporters and leaders during the campaign period.
According to the former Deputy President, DCP officials were allegedly assaulted at the Royal Garden Hotel on July 1, with personal items including a mobile phone stolen despite reports being recorded at Ol Kalou Police Station.
He also claimed that members of the party’s campaign team were sprayed with pepper spray by plain-clothes officers travelling in unmarked vehicles on July 9.
The DCP leader further alleged that the party’s campaign sound system was attacked and damaged on July 11, while also referencing what he described as an attempted assassination of East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Kanini Kega on July 13.
Questions Over Heavy Police Deployment
Gachagua questioned the deployment of more than 2,000 police officers to the constituency, describing the move as unprecedented for a parliamentary by-election in Kenya.
He maintained that all officers assigned to election duty should be in uniform, display their service numbers and use clearly marked police vehicles. He argued that if such a large security contingent failed to maintain peace, responsibility for any violence would lie with the police rather than voters.
The former Deputy President further alleged that some officers had been deployed with instructions to intimidate polling agents, disrupt voting and influence the outcome of the election in favour of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), claims for which he did not provide evidence.
Gachagua urged Inspector General Kanja to immediately withdraw all non-uniformed officers from Ol Kalou and ensure security personnel remain politically neutral throughout the electoral process.
