IEBC, police issue stern warning ahead of high-stakes by-election in Ol Kalou

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and the National Police Service have issued a raft of strict guidelines ahead of Thursday's Ol-Kalou by-election.

In a joint press conference, the two agencies warned that anyone flouting electoral laws will face severe penalties.

IEBC chairman Erastus Ethekon said the commission will enforce election regulations to safeguard the integrity of the vote.

Thursday’s exercise is also viewed as a major test of the electoral body's preparedness for the 2027 general election.

Among the key directives is a warning for voters against photographing their marked ballot papers, with offenders risking prosecution and a fine of up to Sh1 million.

"It is against Section 7 of the Elections Offences Act. You shall actually be prosecuted and, if found guilty, you pay a fine of up to Sh1 million," he said.

"We need to tell Kenyans that this matter is very serious. Besides that Sh1 million, the offending party can also be imprisoned for a term not exceeding three years, for a simple act of taking a picture of your vote."

The commission also directed that each candidate will only be allowed one accredited agent per polling station, while ‘super agents’ and other unauthorised persons will not be allowed to loiter around polling stations.

Only accredited individuals will be granted access to polling stations, while voters have been instructed to leave immediately after casting their ballots to prevent unnecessary congestion.

"We have asked the National Police Service and all security agencies to help us deal with this phenomenon of super agents, who are mainly some of the senior politicians in this country," Ethekon said.

"We will not like to see that happening in Ol Kalou and, should it happen, we will take decisive action against those individuals."

Ethekon said security agencies have been directed to take firm action against anyone attempting to disrupt the electoral process.

“We will not allow anybody, whether senior politician or leader in  this country, who has not been cleared by IEBC to come with their security or supporters to try and disturb the peace around and at any polling station in Ol-Kalou,” Ethekon stated

IEBC warned that wearing political party attire or campaign material within polling stations is prohibited, saying the restriction is intended to preserve the neutrality of polling centres.

"We shall not admit any person who is wearing a badge, clothing, symbol or any other item signifying support for a political party or candidate," he said.

"The campaign period ended yesterday (Monday) at 6pm. We do not expect campaigns at our polling stations when citizens are supposed to show up in a neutral environment to vote."

Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja said they have deployed adequate security personnel across the constituency and warned against voter bribery, violence, intimidation and any attempts to disrupt the electoral process.

Kanja said all the 114 polling stations in the constituency have been adequately covered in line with standard deployment procedures.

“We have over 1,000 police officers deployed to ensure that the by-election is adequately covered,” Kanja said.

He urged political parties, candidates and supporters to conduct themselves peacefully, warning that anyone involved in electoral offences or breaching public order will be arrested and prosecuted.

Kanja said security agencies will not tolerate any attempts to interfere with the electoral process.

"To the youth, do not allow yourselves to be used by anyone to disrupt the voting process in Ol Kalou. We will not allow that. Do not allow yourselves to be misused,” he said.

“The National Police Service will be there, and we will not allow any form of disruption. Anyone intending to interfere with the electoral process will not be allowed to do so.”

INSTANT ANALYSIS

The Ol-Kalau by-election has been closely watched amid heightened political rivalry and allegations of voter bribery and isolated incidents of violence during the campaign period, making the conduct of the poll a key indicator of public confidence in the IEBC ahead of the 2027 elections