Democratic Party of Kenya leader Justin Muturi has called for a shift in how Kenya handles election disputes, urging political actors to rely on courts, evidence and established institutions instead of street protests.
Muturi said electoral concerns should be resolved through lawful processes that allow political parties and accredited observers to examine election records and establish whether the process meets the required standards.
His remarks came after a recent High Court ruling that opened a legal avenue for access to key electoral information, including the Register of Voters, databases, servers, audit logs and other election records.
In a statement on September 17, 2026, Muturi said Kenya had suffered deaths and injuries in the past whenever electoral disagreements and political tensions spilled into the streets.
“I have always believed that questions concerning our elections must be addressed through evidence, transparency and the law, not through confrontation in the streets,” Muturi said.
The DP leader said Kenyans should not be expected to resort to demonstrations each time doubts emerge about the electoral system.
He instead called for political actors and accredited observers to use formal channels to obtain answers, review available evidence and check the integrity of the electoral process.
“Instead of Kenyans taking to the streets whenever questions arise about the electoral system, legitimate political actors and accredited observers should have lawful institutional avenues through which they can seek answers, examine evidence and verify the integrity of the process,” Muturi said.
According to Muturi, having clear legal and institutional avenues for dealing with electoral questions could help contain disputes before they develop into wider national crises.
He also connected the need for such mechanisms to the human cost of past protests, saying electoral concerns should be dealt with through the law before they place lives at risk.
Muturi welcomed the High Court ruling, describing it as an “electoral vaccine before the vote”.
He said the decision could strengthen measures for checking the electoral process before another dispute has an opportunity to grow into a national crisis.
“I consider this an electoral vaccine before the vote, an effort to strengthen our electoral safeguards before another electoral dispute has the potential to become a national crisis,” he said.
Muturi, however, said the ruling on its own could not guarantee either a peaceful or credible election.
Instead, he said it creates a lawful route for electoral information to be examined and verified, giving political actors and observers a way to raise concerns through established institutions.
“This is the victory I believe we should celebrate: victory through the law, not confrontation; evidence before accusations; transparency before suspicion; and institutions before the streets,” Muturi said.
The DP leader also praised his legal team for pursuing the matter through the courts and called for stronger mechanisms to protect electoral integrity ahead of the vote.
He said electoral concerns should continue to be handled through evidence, transparency, the law and established institutions rather than confrontation.
“Evidence before accusations. Transparency before suspicion. The law before confrontation. Institutions before the streets,” he said.