President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance(UDA) is reportedly finalising plans to interfere with the upcoming Mbeere North and Malava Constituencies by-elections scheduled for Thursday, 27th November.
According to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), more than 18 by-elections will be conducted on that day, but all eyes are on the high-stakes contests in Mbeere North and Malava.
For the past three months, government operatives have been traversing the two constituencies with sacks of taxpayers’ money, attempting to entice voters to support UDA candidates. In Malava, President Ruto’s influential aide, Farouk Kibet, has been moving across the vote-rich region carrying large sums of cash while pleading with residents to vote for UDA’s David Ndakwa.
In Mbeere North, deep in the heart of the Mt. Kenya region, a high-powered UDA team led by Deputy President Prof. Kithure Kindiki and UDA Chairperson Cecily Mbarire has been pitching camp, vigorously campaigning for the party’s candidate.
Estimates indicate that the government has already spent approximately KSh 1.1 billion in both Malava and Mbeere North in a bid to sway voters using money and various merchandise.
Ruto’s camp is treating these by-elections as a critical litmus test ahead of the 2027 presidential contest, and they are determined not to surrender either seat to the united opposition led by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
With barely hours to the voting day, UDA leaders were allegedly seen transporting huge sacks of cash alongside items such as blankets and mattresses intended for voter bribery. In Malava, Kakamega Woman Representative Elsie Muhanda was reportedly spotted with lorries full of mattresses awaiting distribution on election day.
One of the tactics said to be in the pipeline involves encouraging voters to support UDA candidates, take a photo of their marked ballot paper using their phones, and in return receive a KSh 1,000 “reward.” UDA has allegedly deployed several cash-bearing “mules” across the two constituencies and instructed them to remain close to polling stations.
It is hoped that the IEBC will take decisive action and order the arrest of these individuals who are already positioned near polling centers, apparently waiting to bribe voters on behalf of UDA.
READ ALSO:
Shock as KNEC Examiner Dies at Machakos Girls While Marking KJSEA Papers
Twist in Sotik: Man Who Reported Cousin Missing Becomes Prime Suspect in His Death
