Malala asks Ol Kalou voters to guard votes, flags unmarked vehicles

DCP Deputy Party Leader Cleophas Malala has expressed confidence in his party's chances in the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, while raising concerns over the presence of vehicles without number plates around polling centres.

Speaking on Thursday, Malala said the electoral process had started peacefully, with voters turning out early to cast their ballots.

"So far, so good. We are happy that the process has begun so well and our people have woken up to come and vote. We are hoping that the calmness we are seeing will be maintained until the end of the day," he said.

Malala said DCP was optimistic of securing victory but alleged that some unidentified vehicles, including those he claimed were being used by plain-clothes police officers, were moving around polling stations and could intimidate voters.

"We expect victory, but we have also seen so many vehicles running around without number plates. I think this is a concern that the police should take note of. Some of them are plain-clothes police officers, and their aim is to intimidate voters," he said.

But in a quick rejoinder, Central Regional Commissioner Joshua Muriungi Nkanatha dismissed the allegations, insisting all security officers deployed for the exercise were operating within the law.

"Anyone driving an unmarked car is committing an offence. As the police department, there is no one driving an unmarked car in Ol Kalou," Nkanatha said.

Malala further thanked residents for turning out in large numbers to participate in the election despite the concerns.

"We thank the citizens of Ol Kalou for coming out to exercise their civic right," he said.

Malala also called on voters to remain vigilant after casting their ballots.

"We would want to encourage the people of Ol Kalou to guard their votes and not go home," he said.

Malala's remarks differed from IEBC's guidance, which advised voters to leave polling stations after casting their ballots rather than remain there.

Malala further claimed that a village was attacked on Wednesday by unidentified individuals in what he alleged was an attempt to disrupt the party's preparations ahead of the poll.

"Yesterday we had a village that was attacked by some people, and I think they wanted to derail our focus on our preparations, but we managed the situation. This is a peaceful morning, and we hope that this will be a peaceful day," he said.

Voting in the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election is underway under heightened security, with election officials and security agencies monitoring the exercise.

The Ol Kalou parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of the constituency's Member of National Assembly, David Njuguna Kiaraho of the Jubilee Party, on March 29, 2026.

Thursday's by-election has attracted national attention and is widely viewed as a litmus test of political influence in the Mt. Kenya region ahead of the 2027 General Election.

The IEBC urged voters to uphold the integrity of the electoral process by observing the law and protecting the secrecy of their ballots throughout the voting exercise.

Vote counting is expected to begin after polling closes, once all voters who are in the queue by the official closing time have cast their ballots.