The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has assured of a free, fair and credible parliamentary by-election in Ol Kalou.
Speaking on Wednesday after assessing the distribution of election materials at the constituency tallying centre, IEBC Commissioner Ann Nderitu said all preparations have been put in place ahead of Thursday’s exercise, with voting set to begin at 6:00AM and close at 5:00PM.
She, however, noted that all voters who will be in the queue by the official closing time will be allowed to vote.
Nderitu expressed confidence in the reliability of IEBC’s Kenya Integrated Election Management System (KIEMS) kits for voter identification.
“The KIEMS kit has worked in all other by-elections. We have a 99.99 per cent success rate and we believe Ol Kalou will not be an exception,” she said.
Voters will be required to present either their national identity card or passport before verification and casting their vote.
“The system uses fingerprint verification and facial recognition, both of which are part of the biometric information captured in the Register of Voters.In the unlikely event that a voter’s fingerprints cannot be verified, we will use alphanumeric identification by entering the voter’s ID number into the system,” she explained.
Nderitu further called on voters to observe electoral laws, warning against taking photographs inside the voting booth.
“Taking photographs inside the voting booth is against the law. We urge voters to preserve the secrecy of their vote and leave the polling station after voting,” said Nderitu.
“This election shall be transparent, open, credible and verifiable,” she added.
Meanwhile, IEBC Commissioner Hassan Noor defended the deployment of 1,000 police officers across the constituency, saying the move is meant to maintain law and order while protecting the integrity of the electoral process.
“No unmarked vehicles will be allowed within the constituency. Police have been instructed to impound any vehicle operating without number plates. We are also not closing any roads. We are only managing access into the constituency to prevent the transportation of goons from outside,” he stated.
Ol Kalou Constituency has 73,480 registered voters spread across five wards and 144 polling stations.
The parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of David Kiaraho on March 29, 2026.
Nine candidates are contesting the seat, including Samuel Muchina Nyagah (UDA), Sammy Kamau Ngotho (DCP) and Engineer Wilson Kigwa (Jubilee).
