Rigathi Gachagua has come out strongly against the top leadership of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, pointing fingers directly at the Chairman and the Vice Chair.
In a detailed statement, the former Deputy President accused the two of working hard to force a discredited South Korean company called MIRU Systems Technology into the 2027 general elections.
He claims they are doing this for personal financial gain and to deliberately mess up the polls so that the will of the people can be undermined.
Gachagua says the Chairman and Vice Chair carefully designed the tender specifications to favour MIRU Systems from the beginning. When they realised the plan might be exposed through a case at the Public Procurement Administrative Review Board, they tried to force officials from the Directorate of Supply Chain Management and the Directorate of Electoral Management to take ownership of those specifications and defend them.
The officials refused. They would not give false testimony to cover up what they saw as corruption and a clear plan to commit electoral fraud.
According to Gachagua, the response from the Chairman and Vice Chair was immediate and harsh. They victimised the officers who stood firm. Almost all of them were transferred to far-away counties, away from the centre of power, and replaced with people seen as more willing to cooperate.
Only one compromised head of department was left in place. Gachagua says patriotic IEBC staff reached out to him even while he was on a short holiday to report the intimidation, the transfers, and the larger scheme to bungle the 2027 elections.
He argues that it is not even practical to introduce a completely new election management system with only about eleven months left before the polls.
There is simply not enough time to move from the current system, test everything properly, and fix the problems that will come with a new one.
Gachagua believes the safer and more honest path is to upgrade the existing system to deal with the few shortcomings that have already been identified. He warns that changing the system so late raises real fear that the voters’ register could be interfered with, especially in areas where President William Ruto has been openly rejected by the people.
Gachagua has called on the IEBC to cancel the contested tender completely. He has also told the Chairman and Vice Chair to stop harassing and punishing staff who chose professionalism and patriotism over manipulation and corruption.
In strong words, he urged the Chairman not to throw Kenya into chaos and anarchy, not to subvert the will of the people, and to let Kenyans decide freely at the ballot on 10 August 2027.
He reminded the Chairman that he lives in Kenya, hears what the people are saying, and should choose to be patriotic.
The accusations place the Chairman and Vice Chair at the centre of a serious credibility crisis. Gachagua presents them as leaders who are ready to sacrifice the integrity of the election process for money and political advantage.
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