Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has raised concerns over the deployment of more than 2,000 police officers to Ol Kalou Constituency ahead of the parliamentary by-election scheduled for Thursday, July 16, 2026.
In a letter dated July 15, 2026, addressed to Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja and shared on his official social media accounts, Gachagua questioned the scale of the security deployment, describing it as unprecedented in Kenya's electoral history.
While acknowledging the constitutional mandate of the National Police Service to maintain law and order, the former deputy president argued that the heavy deployment risked undermining public confidence in the electoral process.
"We have noted the deployment of over 2,000 police officers in Ol Kalou; this is unprecedented in the history of elections in our country," Gachagua wrote.
He demanded that all officers assigned to the by-election be easily identifiable, insisting that they should wear official police uniforms, display their service numbers, avoid concealing their identities, and use clearly marked police vehicles.
"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," he stated.
Gachagua further called for the immediate withdrawal of all plainclothes police officers from the constituency, arguing that their presence could intimidate voters and political agents.
"For a start, you may, if you have the guts, order the immediate withdrawal of all non-uniformed police officers deployed in Ol Kalou," he said.
The DCP leader also claimed that several incidents involving his party during the campaign period had not been adequately investigated. He cited alleged attacks on DCP supporters and officials, including an assault at a hotel in Ol Kalou, claims that campaign teams were pepper-sprayed by individuals he described as plainclothes officers, vandalism of a campaign vehicle, and an alleged attack targeting East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Kanini Kega.
He questioned why, in his view, no decisive action had been taken over the reported incidents.
Gachagua further argued that if violence were to occur during polling, security agencies would bear responsibility.
"With such a historic number, there should be no iota of electoral violence whatsoever. With 2,000 police officers, there should be no violence unless it is caused by the officers themselves," he wrote.
His remarks come a day after Inspector General Douglas Kanja announced that more than 1,000 police officers, alongside specialised security units and Directorate of Criminal Investigations officers, had been deployed to secure the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election and ensure a peaceful, free, fair and credible electoral process.
