Nairobi — Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has demanded the immediate removal and replacement of all presiding officers appointed for Thursday's Magarini Constituency by-election.
Gachagua has accused Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Vice Chairperson Fahima Araphat Abdallah of interfering with the electoral process and attempting to tilt the poll.
In a letter dated November 24 and addressed to IEBC Chairperson Erastus Edung Ethekon, Gachagua claimed the Vice Chair had engaged in reckless conduct and used corrupt, covert means to influence the by-election outcome.
He alleged that Abdallah travelled to Magarini on November 21, where she "bullied, intimidated, and coerced the electoral officials manning the Magarini by-elections" and demanded access to the full list and contacts of presiding officers.
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"It is within my knowledge that the IEBC has a deliberate policy not to deploy commissioners or officers from the regions where they come from in the event of an election or a by-election," Gachagua stated.
The DCP leader further alleged that Abdallah held a meeting at a Malindi hotel with Commissioner Alutalala Mukhwana and Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung'aro, during which a bribery negotiation allegedly took place and an agreed figure--yet to be disclosed--was reached.
According to the letter, the purported payment was in exchange for the list of presiding officers and instructions that would enable the governor to bungle the elections in favour of his preferred candidate.
Gachagua claimed Abdallah spent two nights at the hotel and that on November 22, Governor Mung'aro handed over the bribe deposit and was subsequently given full command of the electoral process to his advantage.
"It is shocking and utterly unbelievable that a commissioner of the IEBC, at the level of a Vice Chairperson, can be involved in an extreme drive to bungle a by-election," Gachagua stated.
He warned that the alleged actions of the Vice Chair cast doubt on the credibility of the commission ahead of the 2027 General Election.
"Barely four months into your being in office, under circumstances you clearly know, your Vice Chairperson is on a reckless spree to bungle a by-election. This is totally unacceptable. This casts every doubt on your 2027 conduct," the DCP leader stated.
Gachagua demanded immediate disciplinary action, including a full investigation and the stepping down of the Vice Chair.
"We further demand that you restrain and restrict your rogue Vice Chairperson, Fahima Araphat Abdallah, from bungling the Magarini by-elections and any other elections within the territory of the Republic of Kenya," he wrote.
He also urged the IEBC to protect officials on the ground from what he termed harassment and intimidation.
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"You have the moral duty and responsibility to earn the trust of the people of Kenya ahead of the 2027 General Elections; any perception of dereliction could throw this great nation into anarchy," Gachagua noted.
"If an IEBC Commissioner can be involved in electoral malpractice this early, how can we trust the IEBC with the 2027 General Elections?"
