IEBC warns Ol Kalou by-election could be postponed
By Emmanuel Rono, July 9, 2026The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has warned that it could postpone or even cancel the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election if violence, voter bribery and other electoral malpractices continue ahead of Thursday’s poll.
Speaking in Nairobi on Thursday, July 9, 2026, IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon said the commission would not hesitate to take the drastic step if the environment is deemed unsafe for a credible election.
“If we find that the environment is not conducive enough for us to conclude the by-election in Ol Kalou, we will be left with no choice other than to take the most unfortunate and drastic step of postponing the elections in Ol Kalou. And if that’s not enough, we will cancel it altogether,” Ethekon said.
One already dead during campaigns
The IEBC chief said the commission was alarmed by the violence witnessed during campaigns, revealing that one person was killed during a confrontation on the night of July 1, 2026.
“Daytime, the place is peaceful. At night, madness descends. And on 1st July, sadly, such a confrontation late in the night resulted in the death of one person,” he said.
Ethekon also raised concern over widespread allegations of voter bribery and claims that some state officials were interfering with the campaigns.
“In some outlets, the scale of bribery is massive. We have also been alerted of the presence of state officials in Ol Kalou, which is not a problem as long as they are doing their ordinary duties. But where they are there to interfere, that is also very unfortunate. These small incidents are a precursor of what is likely to happen in 2027,” he said.
Ol Kalou candidates concerns
This comes as the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) candidate in the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, Sammy Douglas Kamau Waweru, accused the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) of failing to act on what he has said are campaign malpractices happening ahead of the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, despite political parties committing themselves to the Electoral Code of Conduct.
Speaking in an interview with Kameme FM on Thursday, July 9, 2026, Kamau said his team had raised concerns with the electoral commission over incidents of alleged voter bribery and the destruction of campaign materials but said no action had been taken.
“We signed the Electoral Code of Conduct, and we committed to abide by it. I wonder why the IEBC has not taken any action. We are seeing cases of voter bribery in broad daylight, and our billboards have been destroyed, but despite raising concerns, no action has been taken. When we signed the code of conduct, we expected it to be enforced,” Kamau said.