The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has asked the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to dismiss what it described as baseless allegations by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and instead ensure Thursday's Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election is conducted in a professional, transparent and impartial manner.
In a letter dated July 15 and addressed to IEBC Chairperson Erastus Ethekon, UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar Hassan said Gachagua's claims that the electoral commission could be involved in manipulating the by-election were not supported by evidence and should not distract the commission from carrying out its constitutional mandate.
The ruling party said the IEBC should remain independent and safeguard the integrity of the electoral process despite what it termed attempts to undermine public confidence in the commission.
"We have gruelingly read the eight-page epistle addressed to the IEBC on July 14, 2026, by one Rigathi Gachagua, with the mixture of astonishment and pity reserved for a man who mistakes his own shadow for a national conspiracy. The self-anointed expert of everything is also the current title holder of press conferences, having convened 358 of them in the last few months," the letter stated.
UDA argued that Gachagua's letter was not a formal complaint but another attempt to make accusations against public institutions.
"As you will easily note, the letter addressed to you is not a complaint. It is the latest instalment in the long-running soap opera starring Rigathi Gachagua, as the tragic hero who has never encountered an institution he does not accuse of aiding his enemies. Significantly, the fabrications therein do not merit the dignity of engagement."
The party's response follows Gachagua's eight-page letter to the IEBC chairperson dated July 14, in which he accused the commission of failing to guarantee a free and fair Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election.
In the letter, the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader alleged there was a coordinated plan to interfere with the election through voter bribery, intimidation, delayed accreditation of opposition agents, interference with polling procedures and misuse of state resources.
He also called on the IEBC to publicly respond to the allegations before polling day, saying the by-election would be an important test of the commission's credibility ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Responding to claims that Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries were campaigning or bribing voters in Ol Kalou, UDA said the accusations had been made without evidence.
"A dramatic list of Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries allegedly campaigning and bribing in OlKalou Constituency has been recklessly referenced, without a particle of evidence. Where it exists, admissible evidence of bribery or undue influence, should be addressed through lawful structures, not by a scattergun letter to the IEBC."
The ruling party also rejected claims of a coordinated plan involving the IEBC, security agencies and other state institutions to influence the outcome of the by-election.
"The jewel in the crown of Gachagua's imaginative output is the purported secret conclave in Gilgil where every conceivable electoral sin was allegedly plotted with the IEBC's nodding concurrence."
UDA further defended the independence of election officials, noting that the deployment of security officers is the responsibility of the Inspector General of Police and not the electoral commission.
The party also referred to Gachagua's impeachment from office, saying he had been removed on several grounds, including alleged constitutional violations, corruption, abuse of office and divisive politics.
The Ol Kalou parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of three-term MP David Njuguna Kiaraho on March 29, 2026.
Kiaraho had represented the Nyandarua County constituency since first winning the seat in 2013 before retaining it in the 2017 and 2022 General Elections.
The IEBC later declared the seat vacant and scheduled the by-election for July 16, 2026. The nine-candidate race is widely seen as a contest between UDA candidate Samuel Muchina Nyaga and DCP candidate Sammy Kamau Ngotho, both of whom won their party nominations through competitive primaries.
UDA urged the IEBC to proceed with the by-election "professionally, transparently and in accordance with the law, without acquiescing to blackmail, ultimatums, theatrics or the politics of manufactured crisis."