Gachagua threatens nationwide IEBC protests over voter register

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 29 – Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has threatened to mobilise 10,000 Kenyans to occupy the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) headquarters, escalating pressure on the electoral agency to explain voter registration in border counties ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Gachagua said the commission must disclose the number of voters registered in Wajir, Mandera and other border regions, warning that failure to provide satisfactory answers would trigger demonstrations targeting both its headquarters and constituency offices across the country.

The Democracy for the Citizens Party leader said he had agreed with Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino to demand an explanation from the commission over the registration exercise. Their positions on the proposed protests were not independently established.

“We want to know how many people have been registered on the border in Wajir, Mandera and other border counties. We want IEBC to give us an update; we have agreed with Sifuna and Babu that we are going to IEBC and demand these things,” Gachagua said during a television interview on Wednesday.

“If they don’t, we will repeat what used to happen. We will mobilise 10,000 people to go to IEBC and demand that these processes are well explained,” he added.

Gachagua further threatened to extend the protests to constituency IEBC offices, saying the demonstrations would continue until commission chairman Erastus Edung Ethekon and the commissioners addressed their concerns.

“We will also ask Kenyans to occupy constituency IEBC offices in their respective constituencies until we bring Ethekon and the IEBC commissioners to order,” he said.

The threats come amid a growing controversy over alleged irregular issuance of Kenyan identity cards and registration of voters along the Kenya-Uganda border, raising questions about the verification of citizenship and the integrity of the electoral register.

Reports emerged with testimonies from Ugandan nationals who claimed to have obtained Kenyan identity cards and voter cards. The report raised concerns about possible weaknesses in the identification and voter-registration processes in border areas, including Suam in Trans Nzoia County.

Some of the allegations also concerned the purported movement of voter-registration equipment across the border.

The IEBC has dismissed claims that foreigners are being illegally registered as voters, describing the allegations as unsubstantiated.

In a statement issued on September 27, Ethekon said the commission had not received credible evidence of illegal registration, unauthorised voter transfers or other alleged electoral irregularities.

The chairman also clarified that the commission does not issue national identity cards or passports. Its role is to register eligible Kenyan citizens who already possess valid identification documents.

The commission further denied reports that Kenya Integrated Election Management System (KIEMS) kits had gone missing or been moved to unauthorised locations outside the country.

It said registration equipment remained under the custody of authorised officers and was secured at designated police stations or IEBC offices when not in use.

The IEBC urged anyone with evidence of malpractice to submit it for investigation, warning against the circulation of unverified claims that could undermine public confidence in the electoral process.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations also rejected reports linking its officers to an alleged interception of a vehicle carrying election-related materials at the Suam border. DCI spokesperson John Marete said the reported arrest and subsequent transfer of an officer, as described in the media report, had not occurred.

Endebess MP Robert Pukose separately disputed allegations linking a vehicle featured in the report to his aide, telling Parliament that the claims were misleading and that he had no role in registering voters.

The controversy has also exposed differences over how identification procedures should be handled in communities whose family ties, livelihoods and movements span the Kenya-Uganda border.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has defended the right of eligible Kenyan citizens living across the border to obtain identification documents, arguing that residence in Uganda does not automatically disqualify a Kenyan from accessing government services.

His position has drawn criticism from Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya, who has called for stricter vetting of applicants in border areas to prevent foreign nationals from improperly acquiring Kenyan identity documents.

Natembeya has alleged that large numbers of Ugandans could be issued Kenyan documents and subsequently influence the 2027 elections. However, figures cited in the dispute, including claims of 100,000 potential votes, have not been independently established as a verified count of ineligible voters.

Uganda has also weighed in on the dispute. On October 7, First Deputy Prime Minister Rebecca Kadaga said security and immigration authorities in border districts would monitor unlawful cross-border political activity, while emphasising respect for Kenya’s sovereignty and electoral processes.

Beyond the registration figures, Gachagua questioned the IEBC’s preparations for the planned audit of the voter register, demanding to know whether a firm had been procured to conduct the exercise.

He said the audit was expected to be completed by February 2027 and challenged the commission to explain how it intended to meet the deadline.

“We want to know the audit of the voter register; have they procured a firm? It is supposed to be concluded in February; what are plans?” he asked.

The accuracy of the register is a central component of preparations for the next General Election, with an audit expected to help identify errors, duplicate entries and other irregularities that could affect the credibility of the polls.

The IEBC has said it is preparing for the 2027 elections through continuous voter registration and other electoral activities. The commission has also indicated plans to expand diaspora voter registration from 12 countries in the 2022 elections to 26 countries ahead of the next polls.

However, the allegations surrounding border registration remain distinct from the legitimate registration of Kenyan citizens living abroad. The key issue is whether the legal requirements for citizenship and voter eligibility are being followed and whether any specific cases of irregular registration can be substantiated.

Gachagua’s threatened demonstrations would add to the pressure on the IEBC to publish clear information about registration figures, explain its verification procedures and demonstrate the progress of the planned voter-register audit.