The Mbeere North parliamentary by-election has drawn fresh controversy, with former National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi, EGH, accusing the process of being rigged.

He made the claims in a post on his X account on Thursday, March 5, 2026.

“The Mbeere North by-election was blatantly rigged. Individuals were ferried from different parts of the country by a rogue government and facilitated to vote in favour of their preferred candidate,” Muturi said.

Muturi described an encounter he had during a tour of Nakuru, Nyandarua and Nyeri counties, when three individuals approached him and admitted they had travelled to Mbeere North to vote, despite not being registered there.

“After our final engagement with the people of Kiawara, three individuals approached me and said, ‘Mhesh, pole sana.’ I asked them why they were apologizing. Their response was shocking. They told me they had travelled to Mbeere North and voted in the recent by-election in favour of the government’s candidate,” he wrote.

“I asked them whether they were registered voters in Mbeere North. They said they were not. According to them, they had been facilitated and paid to go there and vote. They admitted they were sorry but said they did it because they were given money.”

He called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to restore the voter’s card as the mandatory and exclusive document for voting, citing concerns that national IDs were being issued to individuals outside the constituency and even to non-citizens.

“This points to a far deeper problem in our country today. We are dealing with a rogue leadership in government that shows absolutely no regard for institutions, whether established by the Constitution or otherwise,” he said.

Mbeere by-elections

Last year, the Mbeere North seat was won by United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate Leo Wa Mūthende in a tightly contested by-election held on November 27, 2025. Wa Mūthende secured 15,802 votes, narrowly defeating Newton Kariuki, who garnered 15,308 votes.

The race was framed as a proxy contest for Mt. Kenya politics, with Deputy President Kithure Kindiki backing Wa Mūthende and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua supporting Kariuki.

The contest saw accusations of intimidation, bribery, and political violence from both sides. Gachagua claimed up to Ksh600 million had been used to influence the election through cash payments and identity manipulation. UDA rejected the claims, describing them as “melodramatic reactions” intended to discredit their candidate.

The by-election reinforced UDA’s influence in Embu County and strengthened Kindiki’s political position in the region.

Following the parliamentary by-election, UDA also won two county assembly seats in Mbeere North. On March 4, 2026, newly elected MCAs Duncan Muratia Nyaga (Evurore Ward) and Peterson Njiru Njeru, also known as Weche (Muminji Ward), took their oath of office at the Embu County Assembly chambers.