Moses Kuria slams IEBC over threats to Rigathi Gachagua
Moses Kuria slams IEBC over threats to Rigathi Gachagua
Former Cabinet Secretary for Public Service Moses Kuria has criticized the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) following the release of a threatening video targeting former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua ahead of his planned visit to Mbeere North.
In a statement on Monday, November 10, Kuria questioned whether the 2027 elections would be conducted fairly, expressing his concerns after raising the matter with the Electoral Operations Commissioner on several occasions without any action being taken.
“Dear IEBC. Is this how 2027 will be? I have raised this with your Electoral Operations Commissioner several times. No action. Elections are a process, not an event. Mbeere North is currently the property of IEBC, not the state. The buck stops with you. Your staple food is public confidence,” Kuria wrote.
The former CS was responding to a viral video showing a group of four individuals issuing threats against Gachagua, who is scheduled to visit the constituency on November 16 to campaign for the Democratic Party candidate.
In the video, which shows the group enjoying food and drinks, one man recording stated, “We don’t have any other work from today until the day Rigathi Gachagua said he is coming to Mbeere North. You’ll know here in Mbeere North we are men, prove you are a man, we will check if by ritual you are a man if you step foot here.”
Another voice in the video added, “Come on that 16th if you are a man, but leave Pastor Dorcas behind, don’t bring her everywhere you go. We respect women, so come alone and we can deal with each other as men.”
The man recording further added, “Mbeere North is not a place to play with, as you can see, we have one mission, we even have gender balance as government goons, you can see there is a woman in this group.”
The Mbeere North constituency seat fell vacant after President William Ruto appointed the area’s former Member of Parliament, Geoffrey Ruku, to serve as Cabinet Secretary for Public Service.
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The by-election has become a battleground for political alliances, with Gachagua’s Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) announcing in September that it would not field its own candidate.
Instead, the party opted to support the Democratic Party (DP) candidate in a show of unity under the United Opposition pact.
However, the electoral contest has been marred by controversy, with DP leader Justin Muturi and Development Empowerment Party (DEP) leader Lenny Kivuti accusing the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) of planning to rig the polls. CS Ruku dismissed these allegations as baseless, claiming the opposition leaders were spreading panic due to fears of electoral defeat.
The Mbeere North by-election is one of several scheduled polls, including the Baringo County Senate seat and five other National Assembly constituencies: Banissa, Kasipul, Magarini, Malava, and Ugunja.
Additionally, IEBC will conduct by-elections for 17 Members of County Assembly seats across various counties.
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