“We Will Cancel It Altogether!” – IEBC Warns On Ol Kalou By-Elections Over Bribery Concerns
The Ol Kalou by-elections will now be postponed or cancelled until 2027, according to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), only days before the polls.
IEBC chairperson Erustus Ethekon stated that the commission may postpone the polls in response to complaints of major violations of the electoral code of conduct.
Ethekon spoke during the unveiling of the 2022 pre-election dispute resolution committee report.
Ethekon noted rising violence in the area, as well as reports of voter bribing and even night campaigns, all of which violate IEBC norms and jeopardize the elections.
“If we find that the environment is not conducive enough for us to conclude the by-election in Ol Kalou, we will be left with no choice other than to take the unfortunate and drastic step of postponing the election,” Ethekon stated.
Onyo La IEBC Ol Kalou:
IEBC yatishia kuahirisha uchaguzi mdogo Alhamisi
Tume ya IEBC yaeleza kukerwa na visa vya uhuni
Kampeini zimeshamiri madai ya kuhonga wapiga kura
Mtu mmoja aliuawa kwenye vurumai za kampeini#CitizenNipashe pic.twitter.com/AvCA7uPyTt— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) July 9, 2026
“If that is not enough, we will cancel it altogether.”
According to the chairperson, the commission had received reports of voter bribery, gun violence and night campaigns.
This raises concerns over whether the election can be conducted in a free, fair and peaceful environment.
At the same time, the commission said it might also disqualify some of the candidates who are involved in the violence and the bribery claims.
Nyandarua Senator Methu, DCP candidate Sammy Douglas Kamau Waweru, Wanjiku Muhia, and the DCP team have single-handedly forced Kasongo to spend KSh 10 billion on the Ol Kalou by-election campaign.
Imagine this: the IEBC is proposing a KSh 4.4 billion expenditure limit for an… pic.twitter.com/2YsHojMKe1— Murage Ngunjiri (@jmuragengunjiri) July 8, 2026
“If we find any culpability or any breaches of the code of conduct, the proper remedies shall apply, including disqualifying some of those candidates, if not all of them, who are involved,” he added.
Ethekon said the commission would work with security agencies and other stakeholders to determine whether conditions on the ground are suitable for the exercise.
However, he maintained that the cancellation of the election remains an option if the situation does not improve.
ALSO READ:
- “We Will Cancel It Altogether!” – IEBC Warns On Ol Kalou By-Elections Over Bribery Concerns
- KUCCPS Issues New Directive To Students On University Placement Messages
- CS Ogamba Breaks Silence On Nyabisase School Violence
- TOP Al-Shabaab Commander Captured, 3 Militants Killed Near Somalia-Kenya Border
- Kenyan Embassy Directs Kenyans To Collect Passports, Good Conduct Certificates
The warning comes amid intensified campaigns in Ol-Kalou, with the opposition and the government-backed candidates going around the constituency in efforts to win votes.
Madai Ya Hongo Ol Kalou:
Mwenyekiti wa IEBC Erastus Ethekon amesema tume hiyo itafuta uchaguzi mdogo wa ubunge wa Ol Kalou iwapo uchunguzi unaoendelea utabaini ukiukaji wa kiwango kinachohatarisha uhalali wa uchaguzi huo.#NTVJioni @FredMuitiriri @labaanshabaan pic.twitter.com/VxjcZnhJch— NTV Kenya (@ntvkenya) July 9, 2026
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen recently traded accusations following reports of chaos and gunshots near a hotel during a meeting linked to the DCP candidate.
In a statement on Wednesday, July 1, Gachagua accused security officers and what he described as state-sponsored groups of targeting his supporters, alleging that several campaigners had been assaulted and arrested.
He further alleged that Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen had dispatched what he referred to as a ‘Nairobi Sierra killer squad’ to disrupt his party’s activities.
However, in a quick rejoinder, Murkomen swiftly responded, dismissing the former DP’s allegations, warning against any attempts to incite violence during the by-election campaigns.
The election, scheduled for July 16, has attracted several candidates, but competition remains stiff between the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) candidate Kamau Ngotho and Samuel Nyaga of the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party.
“We Will Cancel It Altogether!” – IEBC Warns On Ol Kalou By-Elections Over Bribery Concerns
