The November 2025 bi-elections have been touted as a dummy run for the 2027 Kenya general elections. It is has been clearly seen as a rehearsal for the Independent Elections and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and other critical players ahead of the 2027 polls.
Too many electoral offenses have been witnessed and one of the unfortunate thing is that despite the Cabinet Secretary, Honorable Kipchumba Murkomen and his law enforcement leaders assuring us of adequate preparations and super deployment of uniformed and non-uniformed officers, pockets of violence have been reported.
Political actors have use violence strategically as a tool for coercion, intimidation as a strategy to scare opponents to keep of polls. In essence, what happens is that scrutiny levels are lowered creating an environment for them to perpetuate impunity and all sorts of electoral malpractices.
It is unfortunate that violence has cost at least 4 people’s lives as per media reports. Scores of other citizens have been seriously injured to a point that some are admitted in hospitals. As a country, we have we have had ugly scenes in 2007, 2013, 2017 and the recent 2022 elections were lives were lost due to political chaos. Some of the people injured are innocent and their mistake is only being in opposing camps. We should have learnt from the mistakes of past electoral processes.
Chaos and violence has occasioned destruction of property including attacks to people’s homes, affecting innocent people. Destroying people’s homes, business premises, buildings and motor vehicles is a direct indictment of political leaders who incite and motivate people especially the youth to engage in destructive behaviors. The law enforcement officers must work harder to ensure that the culprits and their masters face the full force of the law. We must drop some of these vices in future electoral processes.
The electoral code of conduct has it that violence is unacceptable in campaigns but political leaders due to lack of past strict application of the same has cemented their impious and wayward behavior. The IEBC, the police and the Registrar of Political parties must ensure strict compliance of all legal provisions.
Though two candidates contesting for the Kasipul Member of the National Assembly (MNA) were fined one million shillings each by IEBC for engaging or sponsoring violence, it does not seem to have eradicated the malpractice. May be the fines are too low hence it does not bother the conscience of the politicians. Anyone who engages or sponsors violence must be barred from voting or being voted for! Some of the candidates and their political party officials have been captured on voice and video issuing threats and threatening opponents and their supporters yet no much effort is being used to immediately arrest them to face the law.
Unverified reports are all the various media platforms of people being ferried to go and cause chaos and mayhem during the campaigns and even during the polling day. It is worrying that some of the people were crisscrossing the regions in broad daylight in fleets of vehicles without their number plates. While this was happening, where are the intelligence officers, the local police, the local National Government Officers (NGAO) when all this madness was being paraded? This can easily make conclude that they operate with authorized impunity.
The citizens of this country have a democratic right to participate in electoral processes, by supporting, campaigning for their preferred candidates. Equally, they have moral and civic duty to ensure that they shun violence and chaos while at it. Any person who violates the provisions of article 37 of the constitution to participate in demonstrations and present their disgruntled petitions should be arrested and prosecuted. Hiding behind the name of a politician is not a justification to unleash violence and the ignorance will never be defense.
In the coming year, Kenyans will enter into another season of heightened political activities and therefore should have learnt that violence leads to injuries, deaths, destruction of property but above all, grudges amongst ourselves. Lest shun violence.
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