Former Chief Justice David Maraga has described the Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election as a warning sign for the country, saying the way the vote was conducted revealed problems that could damage public trust in the 2027 General Election if nothing is done.
In a statement released after the poll, Maraga said the contest was marred by claims of voter intimidation, violence and bribery. He urged independent institutions to move quickly and investigate, arguing that the integrity of future elections depends on how such cases are handled now.
"Ol Kalou was not a local contest. It is a rehearsal for 2027, and Kenyans must see it as such," Maraga said.
He specifically praised residents of Ol Kalou for turning out to vote despite what he called a hostile environment.
"I applaud the people of Ol Kalou, who endured intimidation with more courage than the state showed them protection, for standing firm."
Maraga said he was relying on reports from election observers, journalists and human rights organizations that documented a difficult voting environment. For him, the allegations are too serious to be dismissed as normal campaign roughness.
"It is an assault on the sovereign will of the people, carried out in broad daylight and financed, by all credible accounts, with the resources of the very state that is constitutionally bound to protect the ballot."
The former Chief Justice served between 2016 and 2021, a period that included high-profile presidential election petitions. He said that experience shaped his view of what credible elections should look like, and he does not want those standards to erode.
"I have sat as Chief Justice of this Republic and adjudicated on what a free and fair election means. I will not now stand by and watch that standard be quietly buried ahead of the 2027 elections."
He called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to investigate allegations of voter bribery, intimidation and election-related violence, and take action against anyone found culpable.
Maraga also accused security agencies of failing to adequately protect voters and uphold constitutional rights during the by-election.
Even as he condemned the conduct of the election, Maraga congratulated the winner. Democracy for the Citizens Party candidate Sammy Douglas Kamau Waweru secured the seat despite the challenges reported during voting.
Maraga said the result should be respected, but that it does not erase the need to address the problems that emerged.
The former CJ announced a new civic campaign. He said his team will soon roll out the #LindaKura initiative. The campaign will be built around existing court decisions that affirm results declared at polling stations as final. The goal, he explained, is to protect the vote at the most basic level and to ensure that the will expressed by voters is not altered later in the process.
