The Mbeere North by-election took a tense turn on Thursday, November 27, 2025, after Democratic Party (DP) leader Justin Muturi ejected a polling agent dressed in UDA party colours at Siakago Social Hall.

Muturi said the agent, identified as Nyeri MCA Karuga, had entered the polling station in full campaign attire, which is illegal on voting day.

Muturi posted the incident on his X account, saying the law must be obeyed at all times. He said he intervened after noticing the agent walking around the polling centre in party colours, which he described as “unlawful conduct”.

“We have just left Siakago Polling Station, where voters are turning out with courage and clarity. I am here to ensure they are protected, respected, and allowed to exercise their democratic right without interference, intimidation or unlawful conduct,” Muturi wrote.

He added that elections are not campaign platforms and that polling stations should not be turned into “theatres for party branding”.

“It is disappointing and telling that those who should be defending the law are the same ones breaking it. An MCA from Nyeri, Karuga, travelled all the way to Siakago dressed in full UDA party colours, right inside a polling centre. This is illegal. Election Day is not a campaign stage,” he posted.

Muturi said he made it clear that such actions would not be tolerated and that the agent was removed from the station as required by law. He also accused his rivals of bringing hired goons to disrupt the vote.

“We are also aware of hired goons around the station. Let it be known, we are not intimidated. The vote belongs to the people of Mbeere North, not outsiders, not party agents, and not those who think power places them above the law,” he said.

Concern over unmarked vehicles

The confrontation came a day after Muturi raised alarm about an unusual number of vehicles with missing number plates moving around Mbeere North on the eve of the vote. He claimed the vehicles were carrying individuals unknown to local residents and suggested they had been ferried in by politicians allied to the state.

Muturi said hotels in Embu Town and Mbeere North were full of unfamiliar people, which he interpreted as a sign of a plan to influence the by-election.

“There is an unusual number of unmarked cars and vehicles without number plates crisscrossing the entire constituency, and they are carrying people unknown to residents in Mbeere North,” he said while speaking in Siakago on Wednesday.

He expressed disappointment with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), saying he had lost trust in the commission for failing to address his concerns. Muturi also criticised the use of plainclothes police officers in tallying centres, arguing that ordinary citizens would struggle to tell them apart from hired goons.

Muturi casts his vote

Earlier on Thursday morning, Muturi cast his vote at Kanyuambora Primary School. He said the voting process was smooth, calm and moving efficiently. He called on residents to turn out in large numbers and support DP candidate Newton Kariuki Ndwiga.

“Even with the heavy police presence meant to instil fear and discourage participation, the people of Mbeere remain unmoved,” he wrote.

He encouraged residents to remain bold and said democracy belonged to those willing to defend it.

The by-election has been marked by widespread claims of violence and interference across several constituencies. Former Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria said polling agents in Mbeere North were attacked on their way to stations.