Nakuru Town East MP David Gikaria has been ordered by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to pay a Ksh.2.5 million fine and publicly apologise over remarks he made during campaigns ahead of the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election.
The decision was delivered on Tuesday by IEBC Commissioner Dr. Alutalala Mukhwana, who said the commission found the legislator guilty on all charges brought against him following complaints about statements he made while addressing residents during campaign activities in Ol Kalou.
According to the ruling, Gikaria must issue a public retraction and apology on Wednesday, July 15, at 10am at Anniversary Towers. The apology is expected to be directed to both the public and the people of Ol Kalou.
The commission also directed him to pay the Ksh.2.5 million fine within 48 hours.
The IEBC warned that failure to comply with the ruling could result in additional penalties. Among the possible sanctions is being barred from taking part in any electoral activities conducted or supervised by the commission.
In its determination, the committee also issued Gikaria with a formal warning against making statements that could be interpreted as offering financial rewards to voters. He was further cautioned against making misleading remarks about voting requirements, including claims related to the need for voters to present national identity cards.
The commission went a step further by directing that all evidence presented during the hearing be forwarded to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP). The move is intended to allow investigations into whether any offences under the Elections Offences Act were committed.
Should the investigations establish criminal responsibility, the committee recommended that the lawmaker be prosecuted in line with the law.
During the proceedings, the prosecution accused Gikaria of misleading voters and attempting to improperly influence the electorate through his public remarks. Prosecutors argued that his statements had the potential to affect voter participation and public understanding of electoral processes.
However, Gikaria defended himself by challenging part of the evidence presented against him. He told the committee that he had not been supplied with a video clip used by the prosecution before the hearing and had expected only documentary evidence to be relied upon.
He also maintained that the footage did not show any money being distributed and argued that there was no evidence that voters had been promised rewards in exchange for voting in a particular way.
Despite his defence, the committee concluded that the digital evidence before it was sufficient to establish responsibility and proceeded to impose the sanctions.
The case arose from a video recorded on July 7, 2026, in which Gikaria told a crowd that he had spent Ksh.1.2 million during a previous gathering after attendance exceeded expectations.
He also explained why residents receiving handouts were asked to present their identification cards, insisting that the exercise was meant to account for beneficiaries and was not connected to the Ol Kalou by-election.
