The Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) has raised concerns over the deployment of more than 2,000 police officers ahead of the Olkalou by-election, accusing the National Police Service leadership of allowing political interference in security operations.
In a statement addressed to Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja, the party alleged that the security situation in Olkalou was not being driven by political groups but by rogue officers operating in plain clothes and outside the official command structure.
The DCP leader claimed that recent incidents during the campaign period had involved individuals linked to security agencies and accused authorities of failing to investigate reported attacks against its supporters.
“Yesterday afternoon, you issued a statement and a stern warning to young people in Olkalou to remain peaceful and not disrupt the elections. Far from it, Olkalou campaigns the elections have been peaceful. And any incident witnessed so far, has been caused by your rogue police officers in plain clothes,” Rigathi Gachagua said.
According to Gachagua, on July 1, 2026, officials associated with the party were allegedly attacked at Royal Garden Hotel in Olkalou Town, with personal belongings taken and statements recorded at Olkalou Police Station.
He further claimed that its campaign team was attacked by individuals in civilian clothing on July 9, 2026, and that its campaign equipment was damaged during an incident involving armed and hooded individuals on July 11.
Gachagua also raised concerns over an alleged attempted attack involving EALA MP Kanini Kega on July 13, questioning why the police leadership had not publicly addressed the matter.
“On 13th July 2026, there was an attempted assassination on EALA MP Hon. Kanini Kega, why haven’t you spoken about it?”
Gachagua said the large-scale deployment of security officers to the constituency was unprecedented and called for all officers assigned to election duties to operate transparently.
“The 2,000 Police Officers deployed must be uniformed, they must display their service numbers, they must not be hooded and they must use clearly marked police vehicles,” Gachagua stated.
He warned that any violence during the by-election would raise questions about the conduct of security agencies, arguing that the presence of such a large police contingent should guarantee a peaceful electoral process.
The DCP leader further alleged that some deployed officers had received instructions to interfere with voting, intimidate agents, disrupt tallying processes, and influence the outcome of the election in favour of a particular candidate.
“They have been specifically sent to disrupt the commencement of the voting in the morning, disrupt voting, intimidate and harass agents, disrupt counting and tallying of votes and ensure that the UDA candidate is announced the winner.”
The Olkalou by-election is scheduled for July 16, 2026, with heightened security arrangements expected as authorities seek to prevent disruptions and ensure a credible electoral process.
