{"id":146675,"date":"2026-07-13T16:02:53","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T16:02:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/knchr-condemns-violence-voter-bribery-ahead-of-ol-kalou-by-election\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T16:02:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T16:02:53","slug":"knchr-condemns-violence-voter-bribery-ahead-of-ol-kalou-by-election","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/knchr-condemns-violence-voter-bribery-ahead-of-ol-kalou-by-election\/","title":{"rendered":"KNCHR condemns violence, voter bribery ahead of Ol Kalou By-Election"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 13 \u2013 The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has condemned escalating political violence and widespread electoral malpractices ahead of the Ol Kalou Constituency by-election, warning that the deteriorating security situation threatens the credibility and legitimacy of the poll.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In a statement issued Monday, the commission cited reports of voter bribery, intimidation, organised attacks by hired gangs, unlawful night campaigns, gunshots, destruction of campaign materials and the alleged misuse of State resources during the campaign period.<\/p>\n

KNCHR also referenced a July 9 warning by Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairperson Erastus Ethekon, who flagged widespread violations of electoral laws, including voter inducement, campaigns conducted outside the legally prescribed hours, destruction of property, violence, intimidation and the loss of one life.<\/p>\n

The electoral agency warned that it could postpone or cancel the by-election if the violations continue.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe reported incidents paint a disturbing picture of the electoral environment and undermine public confidence in the electoral process,\u201d KNCHR said, noting that campaigns officially end Monday, 48 hours before polling day.<\/p>\n

The commission further expressed concern that election-related violence had reportedly spread beyond Ol Kalou into neighbouring Gilgil Constituency on July 11, raising fears that politically motivated unrest could escalate if urgent action is not taken.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Constitution of Kenya guarantees every citizen the right to participate freely in political processes, including the rights to vote, seek elective office, assemble peacefully, associate, express political opinions and make political choices free from violence, intimidation, coercion, bribery or undue influence,\u201d the commission stated.<\/p>\n

KNCHR condemned political violence, voter bribery, intimidation, destruction of property, hate speech and other electoral offences, insisting that all perpetrators be held individually accountable.<\/p>\n

The commission urged the IEBC to strictly enforce the Elections Act, the Electoral Code of Conduct and other electoral laws by taking firm and impartial action against candidates, political parties and any other actors found to have breached the law.<\/p>\n

It also called on political parties, candidates and their supporters to immediately cease unlawful campaign activities, reject violence and conduct campaigns in accordance with the Constitution.<\/p>\n

KNCHR appealed to law enforcement agencies to act professionally and without political interference by preventing further violence, protecting all persons and ensuring those responsible for criminal acts are investigated and prosecuted.<\/p>\n

The commission further urged the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) to intensify monitoring of political rhetoric surrounding the by-election and take decisive action against hate speech, incitement and inflammatory messaging.<\/p>\n

KNCHR said it has deployed a monitoring team to Ol Kalou to assess compliance with human rights standards during the final campaign period, polling day and the immediate aftermath of the vote.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere can be no democratic election where violence, intimidation and impunity prevail. Electoral violence is not merely a political contest gone wrong; it is a violation of fundamental human rights and an assault on constitutional democracy,\u201d the commission said.<\/p>\n

It called for the immediate arrest, investigation and prosecution of all individuals involved in electoral violence, voter intimidation, bribery, destruction of property and other election-related offences, regardless of their political affiliation or status.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 13 \u2013 The Kenya National Commission on Human Rights (KNCHR) has condemned escalating political violence and widespread electoral malpractices ahead of the Ol Kalou Constituency by-election, warning that the deteriorating security situation threatens the credibility and legitimacy of the poll. In a statement issued Monday, the commission cited reports of voter bribery, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-146675","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146675","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146675"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146675\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}