DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua has called for the immediate removal of all plainclothes police officers from Ol Kalou, accusing them of fuelling violence and plotting to interfere with Thursday's parliamentary by-election. He wants security during the poll to be handled only by uniformed police officers in marked vehicles, saying this is the only way to guarantee a free, fair and peaceful election.
In a letter dated July 15 and addressed to Inspector General Douglas Kanja, Gachagua alleged that control of the National Police Service had shifted from the Inspector General to Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen, Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo and politicians allied to President William Ruto.
"Mr. IG Kanja, you seem not to get it; the command of the National Police Service has completely gone to Mr. Kipchumba Murkomen, Raymond Omollo and rogue politicians allied to Mr. William Ruto. The security challenge in Olkalou and across Kenya isn't too much about the goons but the plainclothes rogue police officers outside of your command," he wrote.
The former Deputy President said campaigns in the constituency had largely remained peaceful, insisting that the reported cases of violence involved police officers operating in civilian clothes rather than uniformed officers.
He listed several incidents which he claimed involved plainclothes officers, including the alleged attack on DCP officials at the Royal Garden Hotel in Ol Kalou on July 1, where party members were reportedly assaulted and robbed after recording statements at Ol Kalou Police Station.
Gachagua also cited an alleged pepper spray attack on the DCP campaign team by officers travelling in unmarked vehicles on July 9, the destruction of the party's campaign sound system by hooded gunmen on July 11 and what he described as an attempted assassination of East African Legislative Assembly MP Kanini Kega on July 13.
He questioned the deployment of more than 2,000 police officers to the constituency, saying the security operation was unusual and should only involve officers who are clearly identifiable.
"The 2,000 Police Officers deployed must be uniformed, they must display their service numbers, they must not be hooded and they must use clearly marked police vehicles," the letter stated.
Gachagua further alleged that the officers had been deployed with instructions "to disrupt the commencement of the voting in the morning, disrupt voting, intimidate and harass agents, disrupt counting and tallying of votes and ensure that the UDA candidate is announced the winner."
He urged the Inspector General to restore public confidence in the National Police Service by ordering the immediate withdrawal of all plainclothes officers from the constituency.
Calling for action before polling begins, Gachagua asked Kanja to "order the immediate withdrawal of all non-uniformed police officers deployed by CS Kipchumba Murkomen in Olkalou."
He also cited Section 12 of the Election Offences Act, which bars the use of public officers or national security agencies to influence support for a political party or candidate, warning against any misuse of security personnel during the election.
The Ol Kalou parliamentary seat fell vacant after the death of three-term Jubilee MP David Njuguna Kiaraho on March 29, 2026, while receiving treatment at Nairobi Hospital.
Kiaraho first won the seat in the 2013 General Election before retaining it in the 2017 and 2022 elections. He succeeded Karue Muriuki, who became the constituency's first MP after the 1997 General Election.
Nine candidates are contesting the July 16 by-election after being cleared by the IEBC. They include DCP candidate Sammy Kamau Ngotho, who secured the party ticket with 12,957 votes, and UDA's Samuel Muchina Nyaga, who won his party's nomination with 3,221 votes.
Also in the race are George Gachara of Jubilee, independent candidate George Mbugua and candidates from the Democratic Party, People's Liberation Party, National Ordinary People Empowerment Union, Farmers Party and The New Democrats.