Some of the hooded officers who stormed Ol Kalou polling stations during yesterday’s by-election. (Handout)
The Police Reforms Working Group Kenya (PRWG‑K) has accused security agencies of overseeing widespread violence, voter intimidation and attacks on journalists during the Ol Kalou parliamentary by‑election, calling for investigations into the alleged deployment of masked armed men and plainclothes officers at polling stations.
In a statement, PRWG‑K said heavily armed, masked individuals operating alongside suspected plainclothes police officers disrupted voting by firing shots, using tear gas, assaulting journalists and arresting election observers in an effort to suppress scrutiny of the electoral process.
It called on the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), the National Police Service (NPS), the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to investigate the incidents, prosecute those responsible and recover media equipment allegedly seized during the poll.
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“What was meant to be a peaceful democratic exercise for the residents of Ol Kalou to choose their representative freely was instead transformed into a theatre of terror. Heavily armed, hooded, and masked militia operating in civilian clothes, alongside suspected plainclothes police officers, invaded polling centres, fired live ammunition into the air, lobbed tear gas, arrested human rights observers and monitors, and violently assaulted journalists to suppress independent reporting and hide electoral malpractices from public view,” the group said.
The coalition of civil society organisations argued that the deployment of masked and unidentified armed state actors also violates the National Police Service Act and regional policing standards, which strictly require all police officers in operational theatres to be clearly identifiable by name and badge number to prevent impunity.
“We warn the State that the normalisation of masked police units, the weaponisation of security apparatus in local elections, and the violent suppression of the press represent a grave threat to Kenya’s democracy. We will not stand by and watch the country return to the dark days of police enforced political terror,” they vowed.
Despite these circumstances, PRWG‑K noted the courageous acts of the people of Ol Kalou who, against all odds, showed up in large numbers to cast their votes and refused to be cowed.
“Their resilience is a powerful testament to the unyielding democratic spirit of Kenyans,” it said.
The Group also commended the IEBC for its efforts in managing election day logistics under volatile conditions but at the same time called out the commission for failing to manage and mitigate pre‑election malpractices, including corruption, violence, hate speech and voter buying.
“Turning a blind eye to these systemic irregularities before the first vote is cast compromises the integrity of the entire electoral process,” the group added.
The statement further noted attacks on journalists on duty that day, including that Enos Teche, a photojournalist with The Star, was physically assaulted by armed, masked men outside St. Joseph’s Catholic Comprehensive School.
“George Kieru, an NTV cameraman, was beaten, tased, and robbed of his camera equipment, while Brygettes Ngana of the Nation Media Group was assaulted by suspected plainclothes officers who unlawfully seized her team’s gear. In an even more chilling act of intimidation, an unnamed female journalist was held at gunpoint, with a pistol pressed to her stomach, before having her mobile phone violently confiscated by these armed actors,” the statement notes.
“This systematic targeting of the media is a deliberate effort to enforce an information blackout and shield perpetrators from accountability. These actions stand in direct violation of Kenyan law and fundamental constitutional provisions. By physically assaulting and robbing journalists, state actors violated Article 34 of the Constitution, which guarantees that the State shall not interfere with or penalise any person for broadcasting or disseminating information.”
PRWG‑K further noted widespread voter bribery, physical violence and armed intimidation of voters, which directly breach the rights to free, fair and safe elections as outlined in Articles 38 and 81, mandating that elections must be free from violence and improper influence.
It also called out the involvement of administrative officers and security organs to advance partisan political agendas, saying it violated the Public Officer Ethics Act and Section 16 of the Election Offences Act, which forbid partisan policing and misuse of public re
“We further decry the arbitrary arrest and harassment of human rights defender Ademba Allans, who was targeted and detained by police officers simply for observing the by‑election. While he has since been released on police bail, his mobile phone and camera were retained by the police in a transparent effort to frustrate his election monitoring work.
PRWG‑K demanded that immediate action be taken to arrest this rapid slide into lawlessness.
Particularly, the Group called on the DCI to immediately identify, arrest and prosecute the masked individuals and plainclothes officers involved in the assault and theft from Teche, Kieru, Ngana and other media practitioners.
It also wants IPOA to launch investigations into the operational commanders who authorised the deployment of masked, plainclothes officers to intimidate voters and attack the press in Ol Kalou.
“The National Police Service (NPS) must immediately track down and return all confiscated cameras, phones and media gear stolen from journalists. Additionally, unconditionally return all seized gadgets and equipment, and cease the systematic harassment and targeting of civic actors covering electoral processes,” the Group demanded.
Further, it wants IEBC and ODPP to invoke their powers under the Election Offences Act (Act No. 37 of 2016) and investigate and prosecute individuals committing election offences.
