Police foil chaos at Ol’Kalou as by-election tensions boil over

Police have heightened security in Ol’Kalou, Nyandarua County, after officers foiled what authorities believe could have escalated into political violence ahead of the July 16 parliamentary by-election.

The latest incident has heightened concerns over possible clashes between rival political camps and the use of organised groups to intimidate voters in the run-up to the mini-poll.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has cleared nine candidates to contest the Ol’Kalou parliamentary seat, which fell vacant following the death of three-term Member of Parliament (MP) the late David Kiaraho.

The incident has intensified political tensions in Ol’Kalou as campaigns enter their final stretch, with security agencies now under pressure to ensure a peaceful, free and credible by-election on July 16 amid growing fears of politically instigated violence and voter intimidation.

The race is shaping up as a closely watched contest between Sammy Kamau Ngotho of the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), Samuel Muchina Nyagah of President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA), and Wilson Kigwa of the Jubilee Party. Kiaraho was elected on a Jubilee Party ticket.

According to preliminary police findings, the confrontation occurred at around 8.30 p.m. on Wednesday at Royal Gardens Hotel in Ol’Kalou, where members of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), Members of Parliament, Members of County Assembly (MCAs) and other senior political leaders were attending a private function.

Police said a group of unidentified motorcycle riders accompanied by politicians whom police described were “believed to be sympathetic to the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP)” arrived at the hotel’s entrance demanding to be allowed into the venue.

Fearing the group could disrupt the meeting, security personnel stationed at the hotel denied them entry, triggering a confrontation outside the premises.

Police officers responded after receiving a distress call, while security officers assigned to protect the guests fired warning shots into the air in an effort to disperse the crowd and restore order.

Investigators further established that two vehicles allegedly linked to the Deputy Speaker of the Nyandarua County Assembly and the Assembly’s Deputy Majority Leader were used to block the hotel’s main entrance during the standoff.

Several motorcycles were damaged and abandoned during the confrontation. Police recovered the motorcycles and towed them to Ol’Kalou Police Station, where they are being held pending identification of their owners and further investigations.

The group later moved to the Nyahururu–Ol’Kalou road near JM Hospital, where they reportedly barricaded the road and disrupted traffic before officers from Nyandarua Central and Nyandarua West sub-counties dispersed them.

Police said calm has since been restored in the area, but investigations into the incident remain ongoing.

The confrontation quickly spilled onto social media, with DCP party leader Rigathi Gachagua accusing the government of deploying security officers and state-sponsored groups to intimidate his supporters ahead of the by-election.

In a post on his X account, Gachagua claimed: “Mr. Kipchumba Murkomen has dispatched Nairobi Sierra killer squad that attacked Witima ACK Church to cause mayhem in Ol’Kalou. They arrived three hours ago and started abductions and indiscriminate beatings on DCP campaigners. Our teams are held up at Royal Garden Hotel under brutal police and State-sponsored militia. Goons are currently breaking into the hotel. Thank you Ol’Kalou people for resisting this killer squad. Ol’Kalou is not Mbeere!”

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen dismissed the allegations, accusing the former deputy president of attempting to incite violence.

In his response on X, Murkomen wrote: “Mr Rigathi Gachagua, we know your gimmicks and juvenile attempts at reverse psychology. Try violence in Ol’Kalou and you will see. To anyone being recruited to violence by Mr Gachagua, keep off because the consequences will be dire.”