NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 26 – The United Opposition Alliance has reiterated its allegations of a government plot to rig Thursday’s by-elections.
Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka claimed that ballot papers had been printed in favour of government-backed candidates.
“The serialization of 820,000 printed ballots was not done correctly and was not properly inspected. This has created a dangerous loophole for ballot stuffing through extra or unaccounted-for ballots.”
“We are further aware that 30,000 pre-marked ballots have already been dispatched to the targeted battleground areas of Magarini, Malava, and Mbeere North through compromised presiding officers,” Musyoka stated.
Kalonzo criticised state officials for not only participating in the campaigns but also using state resources to drum up support for specific candidates, in what he termed a clear violation of the Constitution.
DCP Party Leader Rigathi Gachagua urged the IEBC to ensure that security agencies are not used to interfere with or discredit the electoral process.
“The plan in Mbeere North is that 1,500 gangsters from Kayole and Kikuyu will create chaos outside police stations so that officers inside can escalate the confusion by posing as agents. During that commotion, pre-marked ballots will be inserted into ballot boxes. Police will then arrive to ‘restore order,’ by which time the pre-marked ballots will already be inside,” he claimed.
The former Deputy President alleged that 15,000 pre-marked ballot papers had been dispatched to Mbeere North Constituency, with an additional 10,000 sent to Malava.
Gachagua added that the new electoral commission has yet to earn the trust of Kenyans and urged its leadership to rise above political influence and demonstrate its independence.
“We want to ask the IEBC not to allow officers into polling stations. We have also instructed our agents to demand that all individuals be frisked for weapons by the presiding officer. Nobody is allowed to carry a weapon inside a polling station unless they are a uniformed officer. Anyone else, even an elected official, cannot bring a firearm into a polling station,” the former DP said.
IEBC Chair Erastus Ethekon dismissed the ballot-stuffing allegations, insisting the Commission remains impartial and fully committed to delivering a credible electoral process.
“There are so many wild allegations which are not true, and we need to set the record straight.”
He warned those spreading what he called malicious, calculated falsehoods aimed at undermining public confidence in the electoral process.
“Those people must be put on notice. We cannot tolerate that. We have conducted everything as openly as possible,” the IEBC Chair emphasised.
