Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has accused the government of using violence and intimidation in an attempt to influence the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, despite his party emerging victorious in the contest.
Speaking after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) announced the results on Friday, Gachagua claimed the unrest witnessed during voting was planned and carried out by state agencies, while also using the occasion to apologise to Kenyans for backing President William Ruto in the 2022 General Election.
The Ol Kalou parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of three-term Jubilee MP David Njuguna Kiaraho on March 29, 2026.
The July 16 by-election was closely watched as the first major political contest between President William Ruto's United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and Gachagua's DCP.
DCP candidate Sammy Douglas Kamau Waweru won the seat after securing 35,440 votes, handing the party its first representation in the National Assembly.
Addressing the media after the declaration of the results, Gachagua alleged that the violence reported in several polling stations was orchestrated by the state and called for those responsible to be held accountable.
"The impunity of the government must be named, and it must be condemned. Violence was the order of the day. For avoidance of doubt, the violence was perpetrated entirely by the state. Photos and videos of masked armed men assaulting voters are now in the public record."
He further claimed that armed groups, plainclothes police officers and hired gangs were deployed to polling stations while security officers assigned to maintain order failed to stop the attacks.
"They intended to overturn the will of the people. The 2,000 police officers deployed under the pretense of keeping order and preventing violence stood idly by and did nothing. It was the ordinary people who stood strong, unarmed, and unprotected. They held the line against men with guns and defended their polling stations."
Gachagua praised residents of Ol Kalou for resisting what he described as attempts to interfere with the election, but alleged that the violence left one person dead and many others injured.
"It is with profound sorrow that I inform the people of Kenya that the violence in Ol Kalou claimed a life. James Mwigai was shot and killed by policemen. Twenty people are in hospital with gunshot wounds and head injuries after being attacked with truncheons by the police," he said.
The former deputy president also alleged that dozens of women were sexually assaulted during the unrest, claiming those affected were unable to report the incidents because the alleged perpetrators were police officers.
"These rogue policemen raped our women, elderly women, middle-aged women and young girls. So far, 68 women have reported to us that they were raped by policemen. Yet they cannot report to the police because they were raped by the police."
Gachagua went on to accuse senior government officials of coordinating the violence, claiming three groups of police units operated in Ol Kalou during the by-election.
He further alleged that the operation was carried out with the express authority of President William Ruto and the operational support of Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, while accusing the government of overseeing what he described as extrajudicial violence.
The DCP leader also criticised the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, saying some commissioners could not be trusted. However, he praised returning officers, presiding officers and election clerks for conducting the election professionally.
Turning to national politics, Gachagua apologised to Kenyans for supporting President Ruto during the 2022 General Election, saying leaders from the Mt Kenya region bore responsibility for helping bring the current administration to power.
"I, Mr Gachagua, and the people of Mount Kenya are to a huge extent responsible for the mess we are in as a country. We handed this administration nearly half the votes that brought it into power. Our fellow Kenyans, we are sorry. We are keenly aware that we made a fatal mistake."
He said the Mt Kenya region would rally enough support to vote President Ruto out in the 2027 General Election and appealed to other parts of the country to join the effort.
Gachagua also announced that DCP plans to field candidates in all 47 counties, targeting at least 20 governors, 20 senators, 145 Members of the National Assembly and 720 Members of County Assembly.
"For the avoidance of doubt, this by-election marks the death of UDA in this region. DCP today is the party of choice in the mountain. Our nominations will be free, fair and credible. That standard is not a one-time event; it is our foundation, and we will not lower it."