The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has launched investigations into the violence witnessed during the July 16 Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, including allegations involving armed and hooded individuals.
In a statement issued on Sunday, July 19, two days after the polls, the DCI said detectives were following all credible leads through forensic analysis of available footage and evidence, witness interviews and digital investigations to identify and arrest those responsible for the chaos.
The agency said the probe would not only focus on those directly involved in the violence but would also target individuals accused of planning, financing or inciting the incidents.
“The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has launched investigations into incidents of violence and disruption reported during the Ol Kalou by-election, including the involvement of armed and hooded individuals,” the agency said.
“Detectives are actively pursuing all credible leads through forensic examination of available evidence, analysis of digital material, witness interviews and other investigative processes to identify and apprehend those responsible,” it added.
The investigations began shortly after Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen directed the DCI to open inquiry files into the violence, promising that anyone found culpable would face prosecution regardless of their political affiliation.
Speaking during a tour of Trans Nzoia County on Sunday, Murkomen said investigators had already started efforts to identify individuals accused of causing chaos during the by-election.
“I want to tell the nation that the DCI has already opened a file; the investigation is ongoing, persons will be summoned. When files are ready, they will be presented to the DPP for prosecution,” Murkomen said.
The Interior CS further stated that any security officers or state officials found to have acted unlawfully during the election period would also face legal consequences.
The Ol Kalou by-election was marked by incidents of violence, with opposition leaders accusing police officers and armed groups of intimidating voters and interfering with the electoral process.
One lawmaker from the region also came under scrutiny after allegations emerged that his vehicle was used to transport individuals described as goons.
The MP denied the allegations, explaining that he had been moving between polling stations to check on the welfare of his party’s agents and mobilisers.
“I had gone to rescue our mobilizers. That's why I was captured in a video with hooded men in Ol Kalou during the by-election. Politics should not make us enemies,” the lawmaker said.
The hotly contested by-election was eventually won by Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) candidate Sammy Kamau, who secured 35,440 votes, representing more than 86 per cent of the total votes cast.
United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate Samuel Nyagah finished second with 5,450 votes, while the remaining candidates shared the balance of the votes.