- Gachagua alleges a plan to cause blackouts in the by-election areas
- Says the aim is to create darkness for ballot stuffing
- Mentions civilian-clothed officers causing chaos to delay counting
- Wamalwa claims thousands of pre-marked ballots are being moved
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has raised fresh concerns about the upcoming by-elections in Malava, Mbeere North, and Magharini. Speaking during the United Opposition briefing on Wednesday, he claimed he has reliable intelligence showing a planned scheme to influence the results.
According to him, the plan involves cutting power in polling areas at night to create a perfect environment for tampering with ballot boxes.
Gachagua said that if pre-marked ballots fail to find their way into polling stations during the day, the next move would be to send officers dressed as civilians to cause unrest shortly before polls close.
He argued that the disruption would push vote counting into the night, making it easier to take advantage of darkness.
He warned that power cuts at that time would create confusion and give room for irregularities.
The former DP asked the Energy Cabinet Secretary to publicly assure the country that power supply in the affected areas will remain stable throughout the voting process.
He added that some police officers are allegedly sharing updates with the opposition because they, too, feel the economic hardships facing many households.
DAP-K Party Leader Eugene Wamalwa also made direct allegations involving ballot papers. He claimed that thousands of pre-marked ballots were already headed to the three constituencies.
He said Mbeere North was receiving the largest batch and insisted the materials were being moved at night.
The accusations come at a time when several opposition leaders have had their security withdrawn. Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale and Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya both lost their officers ahead of the Malava vote.
They called the move intimidation, but the Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen defended it, saying the changes were meant to prevent violence and deal with cases where some officers assigned to VIPs allegedly worked with criminal groups.
Senator Khalwale openly demanded answers from President William Ruto during a public address. He asked the President whether he was aware of the security withdrawals and why unfamiliar youth had reportedly been brought into Kakamega.
He said the developments were suspicious and asked the President to clarify what role these groups were expected to play during the by-elections.
