Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has ignited a political firestorm after alleging an elaborate government plot to engineer power blackouts during Thursday’s by-elections—claims he says are backed by what he calls “credible intelligence.”
Speaking during a charged United Opposition press briefing on Wednesday, Gachagua accused the government of planning to plunge key voting regions—Malava, Mbeere North, and Magharini—into darkness to enable ballot stuffing after nightfall.
According to him, the alleged rigging plan is designed to unfold in phases.
“We have credible information that if pre-marked ballot papers fail during the day, officers in civilian clothes will stage chaos at 5pm to delay the vote-counting until it’s dark,” Gachagua claimed.
He further alleged that a coordinated power outage would then provide cover to sneak pre-marked ballots into boxes.
“When it’s dark, the plan is to cut power in all these areas and create chaos, making it easy to get the pre-marked ballots into ballot boxes,” he said.
DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa escalated the tension, alleging the existence and movement of tens of thousands of pre-marked ballot papers.
“We are aware that 15,000 pre-marked ballot papers are headed to Mbeere North, 10,000 to Malava, and another 10,000 to Magharini… Tonight they are being dispatched,” Wamalwa claimed.
The Opposition insists the details were leaked by police officers supposedly frustrated by their own working conditions.
Gachagua issued a direct warning to the Ministry of Energy:
“The Energy CS must assure Kenyans that there will be no blackouts in the by-election areas.”
He emphasized that any outage would be interpreted as proof of manipulation.
Tension has further escalated after security details were withdrawn from Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale and Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya—both vocal figures ahead of the Malava vote.
Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen defended the decision, saying it was prompted by intelligence linking some VIP security officers to criminal activities.
“If an officer attached to a VIP is working with goons, we must take them away first,” Murkomen argued.
But Khalwale fired back, publicly confronting President William Ruto:
“Mr. President, are you aware our security has been withdrawn? Where are the six officers assigned to me? What are you planning?”
He also claimed Nairobi-based youth had been brought into Kakamega for unclear purposes, demanding the President clarify their mission.
The allegations—ranging from rogue police involvement to dispatched pre-marked ballots and planned blackouts—have electrified an already tense electoral atmosphere.
With by-elections just hours away, all eyes are now on:
Energy CS for assurances of uninterrupted power supply,
IEBC for secure, transparent vote management, and
Security agencies for impartial enforcement of order.
Whether the polls proceed peacefully—or plunge into controversy—will become clear in a matter of hours.
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