Concerns about the upcoming Narok Town Ward by election have intensified after Democratic for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua raised serious claims about plans to interfere with the voting process.
He argues that what should be a simple democratic exercise is now at risk of being compromised unless urgent action is taken to protect the credibility of the election.
Gachagua, in a letter addressed to IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon on Tuesday, November 25, said he had received intelligence pointing to a scheme involving some police officers and groups of hired individuals who may attempt to disrupt voting on Thursday, November 27.
According to him, these groups have allegedly been mobilised to interfere with operations at polling stations in Narok Town Ward.
He believes their presence is meant to discourage or block supporters of DCP candidate Douglas Masikonde from taking part in the election.He further claimed that there is a targeted plan to intimidate DCP polling agents throughout the day.
In his letter, he warned that both the party’s chief agent and the candidate himself might be prevented from accessing the tallying centre.
Gachagua argued that this would be done by goons working alongside rogue elements within the police, with the intention of creating an environment where the Returning Officer may feel pressured to announce the UDA candidate as the winner.
He insisted that such actions would amount to a clear attempt to rig the outcome.
The DCP leader asked the IEBC chairperson to provide strong and transparent security arrangements to ensure that every party has fair access to polling stations and tallying centres.
He emphasised that the credibility of the commission is at stake, saying that Ethekon must assure the public that no state sponsored individuals will be allowed to take control of the process.
Gachagua added that failing to give this assurance could weaken public trust in the electoral body, especially with the 2027 General Elections approaching.
He argued that safeguarding free and fair elections remains important for preventing cases of post election violence. Gachagua urged the commission to take firm action and stop any attempts to influence the Returning Officer.
He reminded the chairman of the painful history of clashes in Narok, pointing to the tribal violence witnessed in 1992, when members of one community were reportedly barred from voting.
According to him, ignoring early warnings could allow similar tensions to build up again.
These concerns surfaced just a day after IEBC Commissioner Alutalala Mukhwana announced that the commission plans to deploy plain clothed police officers to some of the highly competitive areas.
Mukhwana explained that political temperatures had risen sharply, and heavy security deployment was necessary. He noted that disagreements were likely due to the level of competition, adding that tempers had already begun to flare.
