Ol Kalou residents force police officers to open bags over election materials claims
By Emmanuel Rono, July 16, 2026Tension has erupted in Ol Kalou after angry residents intercepted several police officers and forced them to open their bags over claims that they were transporting election materials during the ongoing parliamentary by-election.
According to videos seen by People Daily Digital on Thursday, July 16, 2026, the confrontation drew a large crowd as residents demanded to inspect the officers’ belongings, insisting they wanted to verify that no election materials were being moved unlawfully.
In one of the videos, residents are heard accusing the officers of attempting to influence the electoral process, with some shouting, “Wewe ni polisi? Unabribe watu kwa nini?” as they pressed the officers to comply with their demands.
The officers eventually opened their bags in the presence of the crowd in an effort to calm the situation.
Police deployed to Ol Kalou
The Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja deployed more than 1,000 police officers to Ol Kalou Constituency to oversee the parliamentary by-election, assuring residents that adequate security measures have been put in place to guarantee a peaceful, free, fair, and credible electoral process.
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Speaking to the press on Tuesday, July 14, 2026 after a multi-agency security meeting attended by officials from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Kanja said the National Police Service was fully prepared to secure the exercise and protect voters, election officials, and electoral materials.
“The people of Ol Kalou are expected to exercise their democratic rights in a free, fair, peaceful, secure, and credible manner, as guided by our Constitution and the laws of the land,” Kanja said.
He revealed that all 114 polling stations within the constituency have been adequately staffed with security personnel in line with the National Police Service’s standard deployment procedures.
According to the Inspector General, each polling station will have at least two police officers responsible for safeguarding election materials, securing the voting process, and ensuring IEBC officials carry out their duties without interference.
“Their work shall be to safeguard the voting materials and the voting process itself while offering adequate security at every polling station and ensuring electoral officials perform their duties without hindrance,” he stated.