Gachagua Alleges Massive Police Deployment Meant to Influence Ol Kalou By-Election
Photo: Courtesy.
By Linda Olendo
Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has accused the National Police Service of deploying an excessive number of officers to Ol Kalou ahead of Thursday’s parliamentary by-election, alleging the operation is intended to influence the outcome.
The by-election scheduled for July 16, 2026 was triggered by the death of Ol Kalou MP David Kiaraho on March 29 while receiving treatment at Nairobi Hospital, after which National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula declared the seat vacant in accordance with the Constitution.
In a letter addressed to Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja on Wednesday, Gachagua claimed the security operation had been compromised and alleged that command had shifted to senior government officials and politicians allied to President William Ruto, rather than the police leadership.
He questioned the scale of the deployment, describing it as unprecedented for a constituency he said had remained largely peaceful during campaigns.
According to verified reports, Inspector General Kanja has deployed over 1,000 police officers to secure the Ol Kalou by-election. The deployment is part of standard election security procedures to safeguard voting materials, the voting process and polling stations.
Eastleigh Voice reporting indicates the IEBC cleared nine candidates for the race, and that opposition parties under the United Alternative Government have agreed to back a single candidate through an independent scientific survey to improve their chances.
Gachagua, in his letter, alleged that the officers had been assigned roles beyond maintaining law and order, claiming they had been “specifically sent to disrupt the commencement of voting in the morning, disrupt voting, intimidate and harass agents, disrupt counting and tallying of votes and ensure that the UDA candidate is announced the winner.”
He further alleged that units drawn from the General Service Unit (GSU) and the Anti-Stock Theft Unit had been instructed to use brute force should unrest arise after results are declared.
The DCP leader cited several incidents he claimed had gone unaddressed during the campaign period, including an alleged assault on DCP officials at a hotel in Ol Kalou on July 1, a pepper spray attack on July 9, damage to a campaign vehicle on July 11, and an alleged attempted assassination of EALA member Kanini Kega on July 13. Police have separately confirmed launching a probe into Kanini Kega’s alleged shooting incident in Nyandarua.
Gachagua demanded that all officers deployed for election security be in uniform, display their service numbers and use clearly marked police vehicles, while calling for the withdrawal of all plain-clothes officers.
“The 2,000 Police Officers deployed must be uniformed, they must display their service numbers, they must not be hooded and they must use clearly marked police vehicles,” he stated in the demand that has been widely reported as “Gachagua demands police officers wear uniforms, use marked vehicles.”
He warned that responsibility for any violence would rest with the police, stating: “With 2,000 police officers, there should be no violence unless it is caused by the officers themselves.”
On Tuesday, IG Kanja assured Kenyans that the NPS had made necessary adjustments to ensure residents of Ol Kalou exercise their democratic right in a fair, peaceful and secure environment, with a minimum of two officers per polling station and additional deployments including four platoons of GSU, Anti-stock theft officers and water cannons, according to police briefings.
Gachagua urged the police to remain impartial and referenced Section 12 of the Election Offences Act, which prohibits the use of national security organs to influence electoral outcomes.
The Ol Kalou contest is seen as a key test for both government and opposition, pitting UDA candidate Samuel Muchina Nyaga against DCP candidate Sammy Kamau Ngotho, Jubilee and other parties. The United Alternative Government has warned against voter bribery, misuse of public resources and deployment of state machinery to influence the outcome.
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