Voter bribery, violence could dent Ol Kalou by-election outcome: report says

Election Observation Group (Elog) Communication lead Carol Wambui, Board Chair Victor Nyongesa and Board Member Nyag'ori Ohenjo, during the presentation of the Ol Kalou pre-election report in Nairobi, on July 15, 2026. [Benard Orwongo Standard]

As residents of Ol Kalou in Nyandarau County, head to the polls today, it is not clear whether the by-election outcome will reflect the will of voters, a report has established.

In the preliminary assessment released yesterday, Elections Observation Group (Elog) faulted the conduct of Ol Kalou by-election campaigns that it showed has been marred with allegations of widespread voter bribery and inducement, and violent campaign disruptions.

This, they expressed, pointed to a "compromised" pre-election environment casting doubts on the credibility of the mini-polls.

Although the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) had made notable progress in preparing for the vote, according to the study, the conduct of political campaigns had undermined the integrity of the electoral process.

"Given the above, Elog considers the pre-election environment to be compromised," said the organisation's Chairperson Victor Nyongesa.

According to Elog, its assessment was based on reports from 15 long-term observers deployed across the constituency to monitor election preparations, political activities, campaign financing, electoral security and voter education.

ELOG said the campaign period had been overshadowed by worrying trends that threaten public confidence in the electoral process as 15 per cent of the observer reports indicated allegations of attempts by political parties or independent candidates to purchase National Identity Cards from voters.

It also reported that campaign activities were frequently disrupted, with a third of observer reports documenting incidents that interfered with candidates' ability to campaign freely.

More significantly, Elog said reports of voter inducement were widespread throughout the campaign period.

According to the findings, 79 per cent of the survey indicated that new development projects were launched during the campaign period in ways perceived to influence voter support, while 86 per cent documented the distribution of food, household goods and campaign materials to voters.

IEBC commissioners Hassan Noor Hassan and Ann Nderitu witness the opening of election materials for the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election at Ol Kalou Secondary School on July 15, 2026. [David Gichuru, Standard]

Additionally, 43 per cent of observer reports indicated that politicians organised fundraising during the campaign period.

"These practices raise concerns regarding the use of money in elections to influence voter choice and warrant close attention by the relevant enforcement agencies," said Nyongesa.

ELOG also documented extensive allegations of vote buying involving actors associated with nearly all political parties participating in the contest.

The observer group said leaders affiliated with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) "most prominently featured" in observer reports of vote buying and distribution of cash and material incentives across the constituency.

The allegations, Elog noted, were not limited to a single political party.

The study reported cash payments ranging from Sh200 to more than Sh5,000, alongside items such as gas cylinders, mattresses and shoes, were allegedly distributed to voters.

"One common practice involved distributing KES 1,000 to groups of three people, locally referred to as "330 meetings," the report read in part.

"The recipients included women, youth, and older persons, although women aged between 25 and 45 years and youth aged between 20 and 35 years appeared most frequently in observer reports," it added.

Beyond voter bribery, the group said several security incidents heightened tensions during the campaigns further denting the credibility of the elections.

Among the incidents highlighted was a violent attack on a Democratic Congress Party (DCP) campaign strategy meeting at Royal Gardens Getaway that left one person with fatal head injuries.

Observers also reported violence at a UDA-sponsored football tournament attended by about 3,000 people after promised payments allegedly failed to materialise, triggering unrest that forced police to disperse crowds using tear gas and live ammunition.

Other incidents included attacks on a DCP campaign caravan, alleged attempts by unidentified individuals to provoke clashes between rival supporters and reports by some UDA supporters of receiving suspicious letters that were handed over to police for investigation.

"These incidents underscore the need for all political actors, supporters and security agencies to exercise restraint," ELOG said, urging IEBC, National Police Service, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, National Cohesion and Integration Commission and Kenya National Commission on Human Rights to investigate all reported violations and take decisive action.

The findings by Elog appeared to endorse concerns of hooliganism and other electoral malpractices already raised by IEBC and some Civil Society Organisations.

"There are reports of incidents of goons roaming around, and of course, facilitated by some of the actors or players," IEBC chairman Erastus Ethekon said on Tuesday during a multi-agency media briefing in Nairobi.

Ethekon confirmed the commission was ready to oversee the mini-polls despite having threatened it would call it off days earlier over cases of electoral malpractices in the area.

This even as the commission fined two legislators that it found guilty of violating the Electoral Code of Conduct over utterances that contravened electoral laws.

Despite the concerns, the assessment found that IEBC had made considerable operational progress, with 92 per cent of observer reports confirming that election officials had undergone training ahead of polling day.

However, voter education efforts remained uneven, with only 45 per cent of observer reports indicating that the electoral commission was conducting voter awareness activities, while 54 per cent reported similar initiatives by civil society organisations.

It called on the electoral commission to move beyond issuing warnings by enforcing electoral laws more firmly.

As Ol Kalou headed to the polls, Elog also appealed to political parties, candidates and supporters to uphold the law, reject violence and voter inducement, and ensure that polling is peaceful, transparent and credible.

The observer mission declared it would continue monitoring the electoral process through polling day, announcing that it would deploy 50 officials across the five wards of Ol Kalou.